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Public Power Well Represented at Annual Legislative Rally

Published on: 03/13/2015

Community officials met with Congressional offices 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 9-11 for the 2015 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, Pennsylvania, Michigan and Virginia, joining more than 600 people from public power communities across the nation.

“The APPA Legislative Rally annually provides our members with 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,” said Jolene Thompson, OMEA executive director and AMP senior vice president. “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 10, OMEA sponsored one of the six resolutions – Resolution 15-06: In Support of Affordable, Reliable Solar Power Development, which was adopted by attendees.

Other resolutions approved during the committee meeting include (copies of the resolutions are available at www.publicpower.org):

  • Resolution 15-01 In Support of Legislative and Regulatory Reforms to Protect Utilities That Receive Coal by Rail
  • Resolution 15-02 In Support of Public Power Utilities’ Use of Unmanned Aerial Aircraft in Utility-Related Operations
  • Resolution 15-03 In Support of the Right of Preference Customers to Be Protected from the Costs of Transmission Projects in the Western Area Power Administration and the Southwestern Area Power Administration
  • Resolution 15-04 In support of Equitable Treatment of Public Power Utilities Under the Regulatory Flexibility Act
  • Resolution 15-05 Support for Legislation to Address Flaws in EPA’s Final Rule to Regulate Coal Combustion Residuals

The AMP/OMEA contingent met with a total of 17 congressional offices. This included meetings with members or staff of: Speaker John Boehner (R-OH), Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-OH), Sen. Rob Portman (R-OH), Sen. Bob Casey (D-PA), Sen. Pat Toomey (R-PA), Rep. Joyce Beatty (D-OH), Rep. Bob Gibbs (R-OH), Rep. Bill Johnson (R-OH), Rep. Jim Jordan (R-OH), Rep. David Joyce (R-OH), Rep. Marcy Kaptur (D-OH), Rep. Bob Latta (R-OH), Rep. Joe Pitts (R-PA), Rep. Jim Renacci (R-OH), Rep. Tim Ryan (D-OH), Rep. Steve Stivers (R-OH), and Rep. Pat Tiberi (R-OH).

The APPA Rally provides a valuable opportunity for public power to be engaged in the legislative process. The main topics covered by AMP/OMEA representatives on Capitol Hill were: customer impacts of increasing transmission costs and capacity market structures; the importance of tax-exempt financing to municipal governments; and concerns about sequestration impacts on Build America Bonds.

View official news release

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    Members of the AMP/OMEA delegation gather at the 2015 APPA Legislative Rally in Washington, D.C.