In this issue
		Energy Services Bulletin home page
		Voluntary net-metering encourages St. George customers to go solar
		Western strengthens ties with tribes to develop renewables
		New guidebook helps utilities address public concerns
		Technology Spotlight: Solar thermal energy an option in large facilities
		Energy shorts
		Calendar of events

New guidebook helps utilities address public concerns

Public Participation for Community-owned Utilities: An Implementation Guidebook is written to help utility managers become more comfortable with the public participation process.

Energy prices are rising, concerns about our environment are growing and energy resources are increasingly tied to national security. Suddenly, everybody wants to weigh in with their two-cents -worth on utility policies and decisions, and utilities are learning that failing to involve the public in decision-making can wind up costing a lot more than two cents.

"Call it a demographic and political convergence," said Guy Nelson of the Utility Energy Forum. "Consumers are better educated, there are more media outlets to cover energy and environmental issues, baby boomers are retiring earlier and getting more involved in their communities. It all adds up to people becoming more outspoken about utility resource decisions."

The Utility Energy Forum was one of the many partners that helped to create Public Participation for Community-owned Utilities: An Implementation Guidebook, a new publication from American Public Power Association’s Demonstration of Energy-Efficient Developments Program. Other partners in the project are Western, the International Association for Public Participation, Longmont Electric Department, City of Palo Alto Utilities, Platte River Power Authority and Redding Electric Utilities. U.S. DOE's GeoPowering the West and Wind Powering America programs provided additional support.

Many opportunities for public participation

The guidebook is written for utility managers to get them comfortable with the public participation process. "Utilities today face a lot of complicated issues," said DEED Program Manager Michele Suddleson. "Developing policies and taking action to address issues is easier when the community understands and supports the utility's decision.  Any tool that helps our members work more effectively with their communities will be a valuable product, especially for smaller utilities, which often don't have expertise in public participation."

A critical point the guidebook makes is that even small utilities should not be put off by the expense that the public process entails. "In the long run, the cost of not involving the public in key decisions is likely to be much higher," said Nelson.

The list of decisions the guidebook identifies as worthy of public participation will strike a chord with public power providers. Many utilities will recall their own experiences and welcome practical guidance for getting customer input on projects like siting a powerplant or restructuring rates. Public participation is also an effective aide in designing successful green power, green pricing or energy efficiency programs.

"Western customers will find the guidebook useful in the process of developing and implementing their required integrated resource plans, said LaVerne Kyriss, strategic initiatives officer for Western. "One of the necessary elements of a successful IRP is public participation."

Kyriss, who is also a long-time IAP2 member, served as an editor and consultant for the guidebook. The materials in the guidebook draw extensively on courses developed for the IAP2’s training program, including courses from the association's Certificate in Public Participation program. "IAP2 looks for opportunities where we can partner with others to help them more effectively involve their publics in organizational decisions," Kyriss said. "The guidebook project was a natural fit."

Utility experiences become case studies

Western's Renewable Energy Program Manager Randy Manion and Nelson got the idea for the guidebook from several stories that appeared in APPA's Public Power newsletters. "They were excellent descriptions of utilities reaching out to customers," Nelson recalled. "Many of the utilities in those stories ended up conducting case studies for the guidebook."

One of those utilities, REU, agreed to submit a grant Kyriss wrote to the DEED program. The northern California municipal utility has sought public involvement in the past for critical decisions. However, there is always room for improvement in the process, said Key Account Manager Paul Ahern.

For its case study, REU sent customers a survey Nelson designed. "We wanted feedback on our customer service and reliability," Nelson said. "The response—largely positive—wasn't a big surprise, but it's useful to have solid, quantifiable data."

The survey method, said the key account manager, casts a wider net than simply inviting customers to a public meeting. "Only the people who are interested in that particular issue are likely to show up," he said, adding that REU would definitely consider using strategies from the guidebook in future decision-making processes.

New outreach strategies for new projects

The City of Palo Alto Utilities used guidebook strategies to involve the community in the Mayor's Green Ribbon Task Force on Climate Protection.

In her 2006 State of the City address, Mayor Judy Kleinberg proposed forming a task force to recommend a set of policies and actions to meet or beat Governor Schwarzenegger’s greenhouse gas emission-cutting goals.

When Nelson approached CPAU to participate in the guidebook project, the task force presented a good opportunity to test drive the strategies. "It was a different style of outreach than we were using," said Senior Resource Planner Karl Knapp, who worked extensively on the project.

Like Redding, the municipal utility had a good track record of seeking input from the community for major projects and decisions. "Mostly on the water side of the utility, lately," Knapp noted, "but the electric utility has a lot of projects coming up that will benefit from public participation. We are always looking for the best practices."

Knapp observed that while public comment meetings are useful, they uncover concerns after the decision has been made. "Public participation brings out those issues early in the process when all the options are still under consideration," he explained. "Then, when you reach a decision, consumers feel like they had a part in the process because they did. It really does make a difference."

Community speaks out on climate protection

The Green Ribbon Task Force is a good example of giving customers a voice in policy-making. Originally, participation was "by invitation only," but it was opened up for the case study. "We invited the whole community—both Palo Alto and Stanford—and asked citizens to join committees," said Knapp.

Stanford residents contributed valuable ideas and analytical skills, Knapp recalled. "We heard from a lot of facilities managers, which provided practical insight from the people who know how the energy gets used."

The task force produced a report for the city council that came from the community instead of city staff. That buy-in provides critical motivation for the city to move forward on a formal climate protection policy. "The city council has already voted to increase the city's energy-efficiency budget," Knapp pointed out.
 
More important perhaps is that everybody involved came away with a better understanding of the factors that contribute to climate change, Knapp said. "The council and the community understand that the utility can lead by example, but everyone has to get involved in the solution."

Guidebook to premier at workshop

Utilities that want to build that kind of consensus and acceptance for key decisions should attend the Public Participation workshop at the APPA annual conference in San Antonio, Texas. APPA will host two pre-conference sessions on June 24, one from 8:30 a.m. to noon and a second from 1:30 to 4 p.m.

The workshop will introduce the guidebook and highlight key findings. Discussions will cover reasons for involving the public in decision making, the utility’s role in public participation, methods to encourage participation and more. Attendees are encouraged to bring ideas and plans for public participation to be used in audience participation exercises. Representatives from the partnering utilities will share their experiences from the case studies.

For more information about the workshop, contact APPA Education Director Kevin Cullather at 202-467-2984, or to register, contact Paulette Kum at 202-467-2941.