Public Power Now

In the latest episode of the Public Power Now podcast, Colin Hansen, CEO and General Manager of KPP Energy, provides details on KPP Energy’s new video series, discusses the wide range of services it offers to its member communities and outlines the steps the Kansas joint action agency has been taking to install new generation in member communities.

In the latest episode of the Public Power Now podcast, Michelle Palmer, Vice President of Technical Services and Compliance, at AMP, discusses the recent expansion of the AMP Member Training Center, a major project that marks further investment in the AMP Lineworker Training Program.

In the latest episode of the Public Power Now podcast, Doug Brown, the new President and CEO of the Illinois Municipal Electric Agency, discusses the steps that IMEA has taken to receive top-tier ratings from the major credit rating agencies. He also details the development of a Request for Proposal to be issued to member municipal utilities to apply to host a pilot battery energy storage system project in their community. Along with his role at IMEA, Brown is also President and CEO of the Illinois Municipal Utilities Association and the Illinois Public Energy Agency.

In the latest episode of Public Power Now, Ashley Day, Education and Visitor Programs Specialist at Holland Board of Public Works, and Dave Koster, General Manager at Holland Board of Public Works, discuss the Michigan public power utility’s outreach to local schools and the ways in which Holland BPW works to educate students about Holland BPW and the broader energy industry, as well as careers in the utility sector.

In the latest episode of Public Power Now, John Bear, President and CEO of the Midcontinent ISO, discusses how MISO is planning for large load growth, details how the grid operator is preparing to meet summer power demand this year and provides an overview of MISO’s long range transmission planning efforts.

In the latest episode of Public Power Now, Tracy Sutten, resource planning manager at Oregon public power utility Springfield Utility Board, describes her role at the utility and details SUB generator loan programs for residential and small business electric customers.

In the latest episode of the Public Power Now podcast, Pat Hart, Senior Director for Resilience Programs at APPA, and Giacomo Wray, Operations Services Senior Manager at APPA, offer details on FEMA mutual aid reimbursement and emergency action plan templates that APPA has produced for the benefit of its member utilities. The templates are available on APPA’s webpage on mutual aid and emergency response (https://www.publicpower.org/mutual-aid-and-emergency-response).

In the latest episode of the Public Power Now podcast, Aggie Serrame, Resilience Program Manager at APPA, offers details on an AI in Risk Management Roundtable that APPA is hosting on April 16. The online event, which is for APPA members only, will bring together utility professionals working in risk management, system planning, forecasting, and grid operations to discuss current and emerging AI-related challenges.

In the latest episode of Public Power Now, Rob Denaburg, senior manager for cybersecurity at the American Public Power Association, said participating in APPA’s new Cybersecurity Accelerator Program has several benefits, which include allowing public power utilities to benchmark their cybersecurity performance against peers and identify areas for improvement. For utilities seeking recognition for their cyber programs, applications are open until June 30.

In the latest episode of Public Power Now, John Tzimorangas, President and CEO of Energy New England, details how Energy New England delivers value and benefits to its public power utility owners. He also discusses FirstLight’s announcement in January that FirstLight has expanded a municipal utility power purchase agreement with Energy New England.

In the latest episode of Public Power Now, Ursula Schryver, Senior Vice President, Education, Training & Events at APPA, highlights key sessions and other activities that will take place at APPA’s National Conference. This year’s National Conference will take place from June 26 to July 1 in Boston and conference sessions will include lessons in resilience and emergency response, what public power needs to know about today's gas market and opportunities and perils of data center load growth.

In the latest episode of the Public Power Now podcast, Marilyn Gilbert, General Manager and CEO of the Brownsville Public Utilities Board, details key elements of the Texas public power utility’s 2026-2030 Strategic Business Plan. She also provides an update on BPUB’s Advanced Metering Infrastructure project.

In the latest episode of the Public Power Now podcast, Kristofor Sellstrom, General Manager of the Jamestown Board of Public Utilities, details the New York public power utility’s community-owned, open-access fiber network project and discusses the utility’s Flex Rate Program, which is an economic development tool. Sellstrom took on the role of General Manager of the BPU in January.

In the latest episode of the Public Power Now podcast, John Pfeiffer, Supervisor of the Line Apprenticeship Program at Arizona public power utility Salt River Project, discusses SRP’s “Grunt Olympics,” a unique way in which SRP tests and trains apprenticeship hopefuls.

In the latest episode of Public Power Now, Danielle Blacet-Hyden, Executive Director of the California Municipal Utilities Association, details a new CMUA campaign aimed at educating legislators, regulators, journalists, and the general public about the value and public benefits of community-owned, not-for-profit power and water utilities in California.  She also discusses her long-term goals for CMUA.

In the latest episode of Public Power Now, Wes Kelley, President and CEO of Huntsville Utilities, the public power utility for Huntsville, Alabama, details the benefits of public power utilities participating in APPA’s 2026 Lineworkers Rodeo, which Huntsville Utilities is hosting. The rodeo will take place on March 27 - 28, 2026.

In the latest episode of Public Power Now, Robin Schoettlin, Recruiting and Outreach Senior Specialist at Nebraska public power utility Lincoln Electric System, details the utility’s new program called Power Pathways. The initiative aims to provide high school students with a structured opportunity to observe, learn from, and interact with professionals at LES.

In the latest episode of Public Power Now, Tom Dankert, General Manager of Austin, Minnesota-based Austin Utilities, discusses how the utility is proactively addressing succession planning and details how the utility benefits from being a member of the Southern Minnesota Municipal Power Agency.

In the latest episode of Public Power Now, Korey Bush, Assistant General Manager for Customer Service at Florida public power utility Lakeland Electric, details how Lakeland Electric’s Customer Academy provides a useful tool for customers to learn more about the utility and the benefits of public power. He also discusses the high marks the utility received in the latest J.D. Power rankings for residential customer electric service. This episode of Public Power Now is sponsored by Sentry Equipment, which provides sampling and process improvement technologies.

In the latest episode of Public Power Now, Cyndi Wentland, the founder of Intentional Leaders, details how public power officials will benefit from participating in a webinar series of APPA’s Leadership Toolkit, which offers a comprehensive path for professional growth. Wentland will be leading the first three webinar series of APPA’s four-part Leadership Toolkit. This episode of Public Power Now is sponsored by Sentry Equipment, which provides sampling and process improvement technologies.

In the latest episode of APPA’s Public Power Now podcast, Brianna Bennett, Sustainability Coordinator at Massachusetts public power utility Hingham Municipal Lighting Plant, and Chris Kelley, Vice President at Beam Reach Consulting Group, discuss a recently completed case study that shows how HMLP achieved savings through a strategic demand response effort. This episode of Public Power Now is sponsored by Sentry Equipment, which provides sampling and process improvement technologies.

Jeff Shaver, investment recovery analyst at Arizona public power utility Salt River Project, details how SRP is recycling old power lines and giving new life to previously un-recyclable material. He also details how SRP customers are benefiting from the recycling effort.

In the latest episode of Public Power Now, Patricia Taylor, Policy Director at APPA, discusses a recently released report by APPA on data centers. Among other things, she explains why APPA prepared the report on serving data centers and discusses some of the challenges utilities may face in serving data center customers.

In the latest episode of the Public Power Now podcast, Kyle Treibs, Superintendent of Electric Department for the City of Fredericksburg, Texas, and Kris Kneese, Director of Public Works & Utilities, for the city, detail how Fredericksburg and the city Electric Department have achieved almost 40 years without a lost time work injury.

In the latest episode of Public Power Now, David Plotz, General Manager of Washington State’s Lewis County PUD, discusses the PUD’s development of a Clean Energy Implementation Plan, details the PUD’s current generation mix and talks about how partnering with bitcoin mining companies as a form of data center load can enhance a utility’s appeal.

In the latest episode of Public Power Now, Scott Corwin, President and CEO of APPA, discusses a wide range of topics with Carrie Meek Gallagher, CEO of the Long Island Power Authority. Among other things, Gallagher said her priorities since being named CEO in June have been centered on stability at the public power utility, affordability and long-term planning. They also discussed LIPA’s continued partnership with PSEG Long Island and a new partnership between LIPA and The Energy Authority.

In the latest episode of Public Power Now, Ursula Schryver, Senior Vice President, Education, Training, and Events, at APPA, highlights sessions that will occur at APPA’s Joint Action Conference in early 2026, as well as discusses other conferences and events APPA will hold next year.

In the latest episode of Public Power Now, Ji Yoon Lee, Manager for Research & Development at APPA, provides details on PowerTRX Pro, which is the new name for the suite of products that public power utilities can use to track and improve operations (formerly the eReliability Tracker and eSafety Tracker).

In the latest episode of Public Power Now, Andy Fusco, Chief Strategy Officer for ElectriCities of North Carolina, details how ElectriCities has utilized APPA’s Reliable Public Power Provider and Smart Energy Provider Programs to help its members improve their operations using these two assessments as a benchmark.

In the latest episode of Public Power Now, Tom Barry, the new CEO and Secretary of the Massachusetts Municipal Wholesale Electric Company, discusses the need for new generation in New England. He also details how MMWEC’s member utilities have benefited from energy storage projects. MMWEC is the joint action agency for public power in Massachusetts.

In the latest episode of Public Power Now, Jeff Haas, Senior Vice President for Membership and Marketing at APPA, discusses the benefits of being a member of APPA and details how advocacy is a cornerstone of APPA’s work.

In the latest episode of Public Power Now, Kevin Bleau, Energy Resources Manager at Massachusetts public power utility Belmont Light, and Doron Koll, an energy consultant at Daymark Energy Advisors, discuss a load research case study that informed Belmont Light’s rate design. This free public resource was completed in collaboration with APPA.

In the latest episode of Public Power Now, Nico Procos, Director of Silicon Valley Power, the public power utility for Santa Clara, California, highlights the importance of community engagement when it comes to data centers. That community engagement can help to address some misperceptions related to data centers, Procos noted. He also details his long-term goals for the utility and discusses the launch of a new vehicle-to-grid pilot in Silicon Valley Power’s territory.

In the latest episode of Public Power Now, Paul Zummo, Director for Energy Efficiency Developments & Statistics at APPA, discusses APPA’s recently released 2024 APPA Performance Indicators Survey.

Victor Fuentes, General Manager and CEO of Washington State’s Franklin PUD, discusses the launch of a successful student intern program at Franklin PUD and other efforts at the PUD to proactively address workforce issues facing the utility sector in the latest episode of Public Power Now. He also addresses the steps that Franklin PUD is taking to meet Washington State's Clean Energy Transformation Act requirement that it develop a plan outlining how the PUD will transition to 100% clean electricity by 2045.

In the latest episode of Public Power Now, David Reyes, General Manager of Pasadena Water and Power in California, discusses how the utility is helping to achieve Pasadena’s goal of sourcing 100% of Pasadena’s electricity from carbon-free sources by the end of 2030 and provides details on a utility-scale Battery Energy Storage System being pursued by Pasadena Water and Power.

In the latest episode of Public Power Now, Casey Crabtree, Director of Economic Development at Heartland Energy, a South Dakota-based joint action agency, provides details on Heartland Energy’s Demand-Adjusted Technology Advantage program, an interruptible data center rate policy, which was launched in March of this year.

In the latest episode of APPA’s Public Power Now podcast, Carolyn Slaughter, Senior Director for Environmental Policy at APPA, provides an update on key environmental regulations of importance to the public power community including EPA’s proposal to repeal Mercury and Air Toxics Standards Rule Amendments. She also details what resources APPA offers to its members to help them stay on top of changes to key environmental regulations and new environmental proposals.

In the latest episode of Public Power Now, Dawn Weisz, CEO of California community choice aggregator MCE, provides details on the benefits that flow to MCE and its member communities from the issuance of green bonds and describes MCE’s approach to power supply planning.

In the latest episode of Public Power Now, Terry Wimberley, President and CEO of the Paris Board of Public Utilities, the public power utility for Paris, Tennessee, details how the utility engages with the Paris community and its customers including Paris BPU’s Customer Academy. He also discusses the strategies that the utility has implemented with respect to its workforce including recruiting the next generation of employees at the utility.

In the latest episode of Public Power Now, Erin Keys, Utilities Director for Columbia, Missouri, details how the city’s utility approaches power supply planning and discusses projections for power demand. She also discusses what her priorities have been since taking on her new role as Utilities Director. Keys started in her new role as Utilities Director in late May after serving as the Utilities Department’s interim director since March 2025.

In the latest episode of Public Power Now, Sharon Israel, Utilities Director for the public power community of Loveland, Colorado, discusses the success of the utility’s drone inspection program, which launched a year ago, and details the ways in which Loveland benefits from its relationship with Platte River Power Authority, a joint action agency.

In the latest episode of Public Power Now, John Godfrey, Senior Government Relations Director at APPA, discusses the recent enactment of budget reconciliation legislation and the new law’s effect on public power. Meanwhile, the enactment of the budget reconciliation legislation has started the clock on a number of tax credit-related deadlines, which are detailed by Godfrey.

In the latest episode of Public Power Now, Doug Buresh, President and CEO of the Kentucky Municipal Energy Agency, discusses the key benefits that KYMEA offers to its all requirements members and details KYMEA’s strategies related to assembling its power supply portfolio.

In the latest episode of Public Power Now, Kevin Kelly, the former Manager of Groton Electric Light Department in Massachusetts, discusses a time-of-use rate case study that the utility completed in 2024 in collaboration with APPA. Among other things, he details the key takeaways from the study.

In the latest episode of APPA’s Public Power Now podcast, John Horner, President and CEO of Maryland public power utility Easton Utilities, discusses the utility’s broadband project including how grant funding for the project was secured. He also details the steps that Easton Utilities has taken to earn recognition for its safe operating practices and exceptional electric reliability.

In the latest episode of Public Power Now, Amy Zubaly, Executive Director of the Florida Municipal Electric Association, discusses how public power utilities and FMEA have prepared for this year’s hurricane season including a 2025 Hurricane & Storm Preparedness Forum held by FMEA in May.

In the latest episode of Public Power Now, Steve VanderMeer, an executive consultant, discusses a new guidebook, Strategic Planning in Public Power: Creating a Guide to Enduring Success, which provides tools and insights to help public power utilities create a strategic plan that aligns with community values and expectations.

In the latest episode of Public Power Now, Ursula Schryver, Senior Vice President for Education, Training & Events at APPA, discusses APPA’s 2025 Current State of Nuclear Virtual Summit, which is scheduled to take place August 19 through August 21. The summit will explore the latest advancements and future prospects of new nuclear, including small modular reactors and advanced nuclear.

In the latest episode of Public Power Now, Lindsey Buttel, Manager for Research and Statistics at APPA, details how results from APPA’s 2025 Utility Salary Survey will be utilized to benefit APPA’s members and discusses the types of questions that are included in the survey.