From inception, APPA was driven by the power of its people at both the local level and in Washington, D.C., and, thanks to our members, for 85 years APPA has been connecting leaders and inspiring excellence.
Public power is very good at the ability to learn, to assess, to address the current situation, and then look forward to shape what comes next. We live not for our memories, but for our aspirations. That is a particularly valuable trait to have now when our industry is evolving so quickly that the trends and technologies will be distant memories before we know it.
This issue of Public Power magazine provides a sampling of how APPA members are embracing change and taking action now to better serve customers. Throughout its history public power pursued real action as the only logical path to the needed result. Discussion, contemplation, writing reports — all may be necessary steps, but protection of the affordability and reliability of our electricity service needs and demands action. In this new action-oriented setting, it is incumbent upon us to strategically step up and chart the path to achieve our goals.
Today, community-owned utilities have a timely opportunity to own more, to modernize, and to connect even more with customers. The stories in this issue show how public power utilities are approaching those opportunities and more, whether in pursuing new technologies or improving support around energy assistance, all in an effort to provide better services. Public power’s ongoing dedication to service to their communities shows through in the substantial savings — on their bills and from higher reliability — your customers receive.
The current dynamic environment in our industry also demands that we magnify our capability by banding together with other public power communities. We are stronger together when acting collectively through APPA and through entities like joint action agencies to aggregate our expertise and our economic and political weight.
For our part, APPA is embracing the moment and bringing a strong collective voice in Washington to those in charge of the federal policies impacting us such as preserving tax-exempt financing, keeping the long-fought-for ability to use tax credits to build needed generation, and preserving support for low-income energy assistance. As we meet with administration officials, many of them share our desire to see more reasonable regulatory processes. An overhaul is long overdue on the arduous maze we navigate to get permits to maintain and build infrastructure that is critical to providing the power necessary for almost every aspect of human life.
Just as you listen to your customers and members, APPA is striving to engage and listen to your needs, finding new ways of providing education, certification programs, and technical assistance to support your local priorities. APPA is ready to assist you in achieving operational excellence through enhancing distribution performance, enabling effective power supply management, maintaining strong financial health, making critical forward-looking investments, raising awareness of public power’s value in your local community, promoting human resource excellence, and providing superior customer service.
It will take all of us working together to fulfill the vision of safe, affordable, reliable power for all, and to increase system resilience and technological capability. The ability to act on that vision starts with you, and some of the greatest opportunities in decades are upon us right now.
