Click here to view a PDF of NWPPA's utility membership brochure

The Northwest Public Power Association is a regional organization that will provide you with tools to help you compete in the utility industry. Our programs are timely and targeted to help you stay competitive in an industry bursting with change. Our membership is made up of over 150 consumer owned utilities including public utility districts, electric cooperatives, municipalities and crown corporations in the Western U.S. and Canada. NWPPA can provide you with services and products, training and education, communications, federal legislation coordination, data and networking opportunities to help you move the mountains you face in today's rapidly changing world.

Trade alliances and industry associations have been essential tools in enabling public power to successfully meet its mission of providing reliable service to its customers at the most affordable cost possible. In fact, NWPPA and its sister organizations have helped public power thrive in an environment where other energy providers usually have far greater financial resources.

What Do You Receive As A Member?

Training
NWPPA offers over 200 workshops and conferences each year training thousands of employees and board members. The Association keeps abreast of its member training needs through a strong committee structure. Courses are offered in most functional utility operation areas. In addition, NWPPA offers board and management training to meet the demands of operating a utility in a competitive marketplace. For utilities located in remote areas, the Association has developed a technical, individual specific and general job skills distance-learning program in conjunction with Eastern Oregon University. The Association also offers an e-learning study center in conjunction with Energy Providers Coalition for Education (EPCE). Webinars are offered to members throughout the year covering current events and issues in the utility industry. NWPPA's four major conferences, issue forums and Annual Meeting are recognized as some of the best offered anywhere in the country.

Committees And Task Forces
Run by members, each of our committees and task forces covers a specific topic area. NWPPA's committees, sections and roundtables should be key components of your utility's employee succession plan. The groups offer members an opportunity to participate in the development of training and new services and products. Members also share ideas and experiences. Where better to learn about working with diverse groups of people, broaden horizons with outside-industry related committee assignments, learn skills chairing committees and contributing something back to the industry. Current active committees are: Government Relations; Information Technology; Marketeers/Communicators; Power Supply; Pricing, Rates & Economics; Utility 3 C's Workshop Committee; Power Supply Workshop Committee; Finance, Accounting, Rates and Economics Workshop Committee; Executive Secretary/Administrative Assistant Workshop Committee; Alaska Utility Conference; Engineering & Operations; Northwest Innovations & Communication Conference. Task Forces include: Environmental Task Force.

Publications
Members receive the region's only industry specific monthly magazine. The Bulletin is a 32-page magazine packed with industry and member feature stories, news brief style industry updates, personnel changes, job opportunities and news about major industry and NWPPA events. NWPPA produces the annual Northwest Electric Utility Directory. It's 128 pages are a comprehensive "yellow pages" that includes important information about: utilities in the region; Associate Members listings - including an Associate Member Products and Services Guide; government agencies and energy related trade associations. The Association publishes a weekly e-Bulletin electronic e-mail newsletter with up-to-date information about the utility industry delivered right to your e-mail each Monday afternoon.

Federal Legislative Representation and Coordination
While statewide organizations focus on legislative efforts affecting their respective states, NWPPA represents the regional issues of it members on a federal level. We employ federal lobbyists to represent our members interests in Washington D.C. which work with NWPPA and its Government Relations Committee. We sponsor an annual face-to-face trips to Washington D.C. and we hold meetings with association leaders to coordinate federal legislative activities. Each year the membership passes resolutions which become NWPPA's membership position on energy issues affecting the region and country. These public power statements communicate our members positions to legislators and other important audiences and interest groups. As a member you have the opportunity to create and vote on these important resolutions as part of NWPPA's Government Relations committee.

NWPPA and Public Power Council (PPC) co-sponsor a grassroots political advocacy program called People Power. The program encourages utilities to develop a grassroots database of utility customers that can weigh in with elected officials on specific issues of interest to public power and the Northwest. A Web site has been established for this grassroots effort at www.pplpwr.org and is maintained by NWPPA staff. NWPPA utility members have full access to a variety of issue alerts, white papers, reference materials, and related resources to help them with information to distribute to their customers on public power issues.

Surveys
Information is power and in a competitive, deregulated environment having the right information is critical to success. The Association gathers information and distributes the aggregated results to members by conducting three surveys of its membership. Surveys are conducted online through the NWPPA web site and results are made available online in a PDF format. NWPPA conducts the following surveys: Directors, Commissioners and Other Elected Officials Compensation Survey; General Managers Wage & Benefit Survey; and the Linecrew Wage & Benefit Survey.

Cooperative Programs to Meet Specific Member Needs
NWPPA provides services for a fee to groups of utilities that want to work cooperatively on certain programs. These service-for-fee programs include: Safety Training Program, utilities in need of safety services on a part time basis are grouped with other utilities in geographical areas and a safety professional is provided to attend to the needs of the utility at a predetermined service level and fee; Environmental Forums, Legal counsel experienced in this matter review federal and state requirements placed on utilities and provide information essential to navigating the complex rules, requirements, and responsibilities of utilities; Northwest Wage and Hour Information Services, this group is comprised of labor relations experts of both public and private utilities. They meet to review collective bargaining agreements, assess utility compensation levels, staffing needs, and other related topics.

Utility Dues
Dues are calculated from a formula that uses a utility's retail kilowatt hour sales and number of employees. To receive a dues calculation sheet, please contact Cathy Wilson, Member Relations Manager at cathy@nwppa.org or (360) 254-0109.

Optional Educational Sustaining Membership (ESM) - These optional dues offer utility members a reduced rate on NWPPA classes, workshops, and conferences. ESM dues are based on the following and are in addition to regular utility dues:

# of Employees	Annual Membership Rate
0 – 4	$ 845
5 – 25	$1,675
26 – 50	$2,270
51 – 75	$2,735
76 – 100	$3,215
101 – 200	$3,535
201 and Over	$4,020

 

Example of additional savings with ESM membership:

Customer Service Workshop – 2007

ESM Membership Early Registration $490
ESM Standard - Not Early (within 30 days) $540
Membership Early Registration $760
Membership Standard $810
Non Member Early Registration $1,430
Non Member Standard $1,480

Savings – Membership $670
Savings – Membership & ESM $940

Staking Technician Workshop

ESM Membership Early Registration $410
ESM Standard – Not Early $460
Membership Early Registration $550
Membership Standard $600
Non Member Early Registration $1,025
Non Member Standard $1,075

Savings – Membership $475
Savings – Membership & ESM $615

 

How Do I Become A Member?
Call, write, or e-mail us for membership information. Dues are calculated from a formula that uses your system's retail kilowatt hour sales and number of employees at your utility. If you would like to know more about NWPPA utility membership, or receive a dues calculation form, contact our member relations manager Cathy Wilson cathy@nwppa.org or phone (360) 254-0109, write to us at, 9817 NE 54th St., Vancouver, WA 98662-6064.

Click here to view a PDF of NWPPA's utility membership brochure