Community officials met with legislators to raise awareness of the impacts of federal policy on municipal electric system consumers
(Washington, D.C.) Public power officials from across the country gathered in Washington, D.C. March 10-12 for the 2014 American Public Power Association (APPA) Legislative Rally. American Municipal Power, Inc. (AMP) and the Ohio Municipal Electric Association (OMEA) group once again participated in the event as an opportunity to learn more about legislative issues impacting the industry and to share their insights first-hand with federal lawmakers and staff.
Nearly 60 attended the Rally as part of the AMP/OMEA group, with 22 member communities represented from Ohio, Delaware, Pennsylvania and Virginia, joining more than 600 people from public power communities across the nation.
“The APPA Legislative Rally is an important function for AMP and OMEA members,” said Jolene Thompson, OMEA executive director and AMP Sr. Vice President. “It provides the opportunity for a face-to-face discussion of issues impacting municipal electric systems and for lawmakers and key staff to hear first-hand from local officials. Through the years, this interaction has proved invaluable to our efforts in protecting the interests of our member utilities and in the end, their customers.”
During the Rally’s Legislative & Resolutions Committee meeting on March 11, AMP and OMEA sponsored two of the nine resolutions – Resolution 14-03: In Opposition to Sequestration of Direct Payment Bond Payments, and Resolution 14-05: In Support of Improving the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ Hydropower Practices; and co-sponsored with the Delaware Municipal Electric Corporation (DEMEC) Resolution 14-07: In Support of Reforming the Centralized Capacity Markets Operated by Regional Transmission Organizations.
The AMP/OMEA contingent met with a total of 22 congressional offices. This included meetings with: Speaker John Boehner (R-OH), Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-OH), Sen. Rob Portman (R-OH), Rep. Bob Gibbs (R-OH), Rep. Morgan Griffith (R-VA), Rep. Robert Hurt (R-VA), Rep. Bill Johnson (R-OH), Rep. David Joyce (R-OH), Rep. Bob Latta (R-OH), Rep. Jim Renacci (R-OH), Rep. Steve Stivers (ROH) and staff of Rep. John Carney (D-DE), Sen. Bob Casey (D-PA), Sen. Tim Kaine (D-VA), Rep. Joe Pitts (R-PA), Sen. Pat Toomey (R-PA), Sen. Mark Warner (D-VA), Rep. Joyce Beatty (D-OH), Rep. Jim Jordan (R-OH), Rep. Pat Tiberi (R-OH), Rep. Tim Ryan (D-OH), and Rep. Brad Wenstrup (R-OH). Virginia meetings were coordinated with the Blue Ridge Power Agency.
The APPA Rally provides a valuable opportunity for public power to be engaged in the legislative process. The main topics covered on Capitol Hill were tax-exempt financing, BABs sequestration, energy and environmental policies, congressional oversight of FERC and RTOs, and cybersecurity. The AMP/OMEA contingent met with a total of 23 congressional offices.
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