Public Power Underground

Paul Dockery , Jason Fordney , Abigail Sawyer , and Dan Catchpole field listener submitted questions from all types of energy enthusiasts. Plus, we have a Bluey Inspired intermission game with the Honorable Katie Mapes , Matt Schroettnig , and Jon Hart . 03:12 - Dan Campbell wonders about the DER value proposition for Public Power 13:24 - Dr. Kyri Baker pitches an airline idea for electric utiliti...

Bear Prairie , the General Manager of Idaho Falls Power, is the last interview in our Electric Utility Recruiting series! In this 8th and final episode Bear reminds Humaira, Brian , and Paul that public power is a movement, and encourages all of us to spread the message throughout or communities. Idaho Falls Power is a municipal electric utility that has served the city of Idaho Falls, Idaho since...

Crystal Ball is bringing the power of good ideas to Public Power Underground with her appearance in our Electric Utility Recruiting series. The entertaining conversation with Crystal Ball, Humaira Falkenberg, Brian Fawcett , and Paul Dockery includes Crystal’s recruiting pitch that “Electric utilities are sexy again.” Public Power Underground is an origin story for the Humaira Falkenberg → Crystal...

Marc Farmer , Clatskanie PUD’s General Manager, joins Humaira Falkenberg, Brian Fawcett , and Paul Dockery on Public Power Underground to participate in our Electric Utility Recruiting video series. Marc also gives a great pitch for joining Clatskanie PUD. Clatskanie PUD is an Oregon electric utility serving the communities and surrounding areas of Clatskanie, Rainier, and Westport. With Marc’s su...

Sarah Edmonds , the Western Power Pool ’s President and Chief Executive Officer, join Humaira Falkenberg, Brian Fawcett , and Paul Dockery on Public Power Underground to participate in our Electric Utility Recruiting video series. Before kicking off the interview she encouraged us to broaden our approach to include all electric utilities in our target audience. We capture some of that conversation...

Kurt Miller , Dan Catchpole , KC Mehaffey , and Paul Dockery get together for a regularly formatted episode to talk about electric utility and electric-utility-adjacent news from a Power Department’s perspective. The crew covers the Murray-Inslee draft report, Australia’s electric market getting suspended, natural gas price slump after a fire, transfer of management of a fish hatchery to the Nez P...

Scott Corwin , Scott Simms , Scott Rhees and Scott Coe joined Humaira Falkenberg , Brian Fawcett , and Paul Dockery on Public Power Underground to participate in our Electric Utility Recruiting video series. Scott Corwin is the Executive Director of NWPPA . Scott Simms is the Executive Director of Public Power Council . Scott Rhees is the General Manager and CEO for Franklin Public Utility Distric...

Sarah Giomi recruits college students for Energy Northwest’s Public Power Internship program . Thankfully, she agreed to join Humaira Falkenberg, Brian Fawcett , and Paul Dockery on Public Power Underground to participate in our Electric Utility Recruiting video series. Energy Northwest is a joint operating agency formed by the Washington state legislature in 1957, representing the convergence of...

Professor Frank Wolak , the Holbrook Working Professor of Commodity Price Studies in the Department of Economics at Stanford University who also works as the Director of the Program on Energy and Sustainable Development, joins Paul Dockery for the third installation of our Electric Market Enthusiasm series.  04:13 - my lede for Professor Wolak’s working paper Wolak, Frank A. " Long-term resource a...

Mark Johnson , the General Manager of Flathead Electric Cooperative, joins Humaira Falkenberg , Brian Fawcett , and Paul Dockery on Public Power Underground to participate in our Electric Utility Recruiting video series. Flathead Electric Cooperative serves over 56,000 members in and around the area of Kalispell and Libby, Montana. It has grown from 82 miles of line serving 117 farm homes in Decem...

John Hairston , CEO and Administrator of the Bonneville Power Administration, joins Humaira Falkenberg , Brian Fawcett , and Paul Dockery on Public Power Underground to participate in our Electric Utility Recruiting video series. Before John’s recruiting pitch, Humaira Falkenberg opens with a message of change, a message of hope, and a message of inclusion in her cold open as the episodes celebrit...

Elliot Mainzer , the President and Chief Executive Officer of the California Independent System Operator (ISO), joined Crystal Ball , Matt Schroettnig , and Paul Dockery for the second installation of our Electric Market Enthusiasm series. We try to keep it light while discussing governance, transmission, price formation, stakeholder engagement, and CAISO’s new five year strategic plan. To break u...

Using the Zach Lowe podcasting technique, Crystal Ball, Humaira Falkenberg, Matthew Schroettnig, and Paul Dockery review their top-5 most interesting energy news stories from so far in 2022 . . . . at a pub . . . together . . . in Coeur d’Alene, Idaho on the eve of NWPPA’s Annual Meeting. The stories they covered are listed in a google sheet they used to talk from. Rather than translate the google...

Jacob Mays , Assistant Professor in the School of Civil and Environmental Engineering at Cornell University, answers Paul ’s remedial questions on how electric markets function and what the Pacific Northwest should be considering when approaching market expansion incrementally in a wide ranging and engaging conversation.  Since Professor Mays is an academic, it feels fitting to include citations f...

Ben Serrurier , Jason Fordney , Arin Guillory , and Paul Dockery talk about the latest in public power, public-power-adjacent news and exciting acronyms, including BPA in the EIM, CREPC-WIRAB, all-things Tx, NuScale IPO, and another WSJ article! 04:07 - a new merch idea coming from the FDR speech Ben quotes in the cold open 08:19 - Arin Reports 14:21 - BPA joined the EIM on May 3rd BPA press relea...

Bill Drummond , Dan Catchpole , Karen Heim , and Paul Dockery talk about the latest in public power and public-power-adjacent news, including Lineworker Appreciation Day, solar developers betting on RTO development, what’s going on with the battery supply chain, and jumpstarting interregional transmission! 08:45 - Arin Reports with Karen Reporting 14:10 - Lineworker Appreciation Day 21:11 - solar...

Debra Smith , the General Manager and Chief Executive Officer for Seattle City Light, joined the Karen , Matt , and Paul for a special bonus discussion about the electric utility enthusiast trifecta: Electrification , Markets , and People . We also get some jokes, elephant noises, an intermission game, and some new merch ideas. 05:49 - what’s going well, a numbered list 12:14 - Attracting, retaini...

Robert Trinnear , Abigail Sawyer , Brian Fawcett , and Paul Dockery talk about the latest in public power and public-power-adjacent news, including IPCC’s working group 3 report, the nationalization of National Grid, a $4.7 million fine by FERC, electrifying heavy duty trucks, and public power whitepapers! 08:02 - Arin Reports with Brian Reporting 16:28 - IPCC’s Working Group 3 Report The Guardian...

Matt and Paul have a meandering conversation with Chris Kroeker from NW Natural about H2’s role in the energy transition. 04:01 - all the colors of hydrogen 17:32 - difference between hydrogen (H2) and renewable natural gas (CH4) 21:23 - How much H2 can go in CH4 transmission and distribution lines? 26:58 - How much H2 can be used in natural gas power plants? 29:35 - H2’s role in industrial decarb...

Therese Hampton , Jason Fordney , Crystal Ball , and Paul Dockery talk about the latest in public power and public-power-adjacent news, including Blue Wolf Capital, minimum pool elevation for power generation at Glen Canyon Dam, FERC’s take on ROE, innovation at Douglas County PUD, a new President and CEO at WPP, and two new members of WMEG! 06:45 - Arin Reports with Crystal Reporting 13:29 - Blue...

In a wide ranging, engaging, and entertaining conversation, Humaira , Matt and Paul interview Jesse Jenkins . Jesse is an assistant professor at Princeton University with a joint appointment in the Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering and the Andlinger Center for Energy and Environment. He is also an affiliated faculty with the Center for Policy Research in Energy and Environment at...

Ahlmahz Negash , Dan Catchpole , Karen Heim , and Paul Dockery talk about the latest in public power and public-power-adjacent news, plus a preview of an upcoming interview with Northwest Natural’s Chris Kroeker about the future of hydrogen! 06:48 - Arin Reports with Karen Reporting 12:13 - Ukraine and the European Union to urgently link electric grids ( which successfully occurred after recording...

We assembled an ad-hoc crew to record an emergency podcast. You can find the podcast on Apple Podcast , Spotify , or wherever you get your podcasts.  Thanks to @DrEricDing for breaking the news into @aPowerManager’s feed. Remember to share this with any friends you have that are electric utility enthusiasts like us! Public Power Underground, for electric utility enthusiasts! Public Power Undergrou...

In this bonus episode Matt and Paul have a conversation with the Executive Director of PGP and former Vice President of Transmission Regulation and Market Policy for PacifiCorp: Mary Wiencke ! Reference Materials: PGP’s Market Retrospective Western States’ Market Study prepared by Energy Strategies Handbook on Electricity Markets FERC Landmark Orders Remember to share this with any friends you hav...

Russ Mantifel, Jason Fordney , Paul Dockery , and Ludgie Gelin talk about the latest in public power and public-power-adjacent news, plus a preview of an upcoming interview with PGP’s Mary Wiencke ! 08:08 - Arin Reports with Paul Reporting 14:20 - Roundtable on rural broadband at Mason PUD #3 plus other broadband news 21:38 - CAISO adopts Phase 1 of Resource Sufficiency test rule changes 30:24 - T...