Explore every episode of the podcast Public Power Now

In the latest episode of Public Power Now, Todd Simmons, General Manager of Oregon’s Tillamook PUD, provides details on PUD transmission projects, discusses the steps that Tillamook PUD has taken to earn a 2026 Top Workplaces award and talks about the ways in which the PUD is proactively working to recruit the next generation of workers.

In the latest episode of Public Power Now, Dave Ketchen, Assistant General Manager at Littleton Electric Light & Water Departments in Massachusetts, details his experience serving as a Technical Advisor for the Commonwealth Utilities Corporation, supporting power restoration efforts across the Northern Mariana Islands after Super Typhoon Sinlaku. He also discusses the utility’s work to upgrade six reclosers within its distribution system to implement new control technology and the ways in which the utility has bolstered its cybersecurity.

In the latest episode of Public Power Now, Todd Dusenberry, General Manager for California public power utility Vernon Public Utilities, discusses the utility’s experience with the development of a data center, the strategies that Vernon Public Utilities has implemented to achieve a strong safety record and the steps that the utility has taken to bolster its cybersecurity. Vernon Public Utilities is one of the public power utilities that has received an APPA Cybersecurity Accelerator Program designation.

In the latest episode of Public Power Now, Keith Hormann, Director of Oregon public power utility Forest Grove Light & Power Department, discusses how the utility is improving resilience in its community through the placement of distribution lines underground and details how Forest Grove Light & Power Department worked with a developer for a data center that the utility is serving.

In the latest episode of Public Power Now, Ursula Schryver, Senior Vice President, Education, Training and Events at APPA, provides details on a Large Load Planning & Strategy Virtual Summit that APPA will host in November. Panels include lessons from large load projects, how state policies are influencing large loads and considerations for taxes, financing, and contracts. The summit is part of APPA’s ongoing efforts to help its members navigate the large loads landscape in the U.S.

In the latest episode of Public Power Now, Randy Trimble, Executive Director of Energy Delivery at Texas public power utility Bryan Texas Utilities, details a new training center for lineworkers that includes a hands-on training area where employees can work with the same types of equipment used in the field. He notes that the training center offers a number of benefits including having a place where the utility can be more deliberate about developing its workforce.

In the latest episode of Public Power Now, Eric Poff, Director of Substation Telecommunications and Metering Assets at California public power utility SMUD, details how the utility is benefiting from the use of a robot dog for inspections of utility assets. SMUD’s use of the robot dog is part of a three-year pilot program. 

In the latest episode of the Public Power Now podcast, Ryan Kelso, CEO of Texas public power utility New Braunfels Utilities, provides an update on NBU substation projects, details his focus on holding face-to-face meetings with New Braunfels community members, discusses the steps the utility has taken to achieve high levels of safety and details how a new utility headquarters will benefit utility customers and NBU employees.

In the latest episode of Public Power Now, Branndon Kelley, Senior Vice President of Strategy and Innovation and Chief Strategy Officer at AMP, details how AMP members will benefit from a new program that provides streamlined access to Noteworthy AI's Inspection platform through standardized terms and group-buy pricing. Noteworthy AI delivers artificial intelligence-powered inspection solutions to help utilities manage distribution grid assets. 

In the latest episode of Public Power Now, Michael Ball, CEO of the Electricity Information Sharing and Analysis Center, discusses how E-ISAC helps organizations of different sizes improve their security posture, details the services and resources that public power utilities gain access to when they join E-ISAC and explains why information sharing is so critical for the electric sector.

ElectriCities of North Carolina will host a free cybersecurity training in Raleigh, North Carolina, from September 1-3. In the latest episode of APPA’s Public Power Now podcast, Chris Ching, Cybersecurity Specialist at APPA, provides details on the specific types of training that will be offered at the event.  He also discusses how participants in a similar event hosted by the Northeast Public Power Association benefited from the training, which is part of APPA’s Cyber Pathways program.

In the latest episode of Public Power Now, Jim Robb, President and CEO of the North American Electric Reliability Corporation, discusses how the power grid has performed so far this summer and details NERC’s response to large loads and data centers including its large loads action plan. He also discusses NERC actions tied to mitigating the threat to reliability from wildfires and provides an update on NERC’s efforts to modernize its standards processes and procedures.

In the latest episode of the Public Power Now podcast, Chris Fredericksen, the new General Manager of Idaho Falls Power and Idaho Falls Fiber, details how the public power utility and its customers will benefit from a new 17.5-megawatt natural gas peaking plant. He also discusses how the public power utility is tackling workforce challenges including efforts to let students know about career opportunities in the power sector.

This episode is brought to you by Caterpillar Energy Services. Energy costs are rising -- and municipalities are feeling the pressure to do more with less. Cat AMP from Caterpillar Energy Services gives utilities and communities a powerful way forward.

In the latest episode of Public Power Now, Barry Johnson, a Fire Mitigation Specialist at Arizona public power utility Salt River Project, discusses SRP’s recent announcement that it is working with Northern Arizona University to install new wireless moisture sensors designed by a company called Growvera to improve how wildfire risk is monitored in the Tonto National Forest in Arizona. The pilot project is testing new technology from Growvera that enables continuous, real-time tracking of forest fuel and soil moisture conditions.

This episode is brought to you by Caterpillar Energy Services. Energy costs are rising -- and municipalities are feeling the pressure to do more with less. Cat AMP from Caterpillar Energy Services gives utilities and communities a powerful way forward.

In the latest episode of the Public Power Now podcast, Anna Detloff, Cybersecurity Program Senior Manager at APPA, discusses the Electricity Subsector Coordinating Council's Cyber Mutual Assistance program and APPA’s role in the program and details the resources that are available to APPA members that participate in the Cyber Mutual Assistance program. She also notes how the program can be beneficial for smaller public power utilities.

This episode is brought to you by Caterpillar Energy Services. Energy costs are rising -- and municipalities are feeling the pressure to do more with less. Cat AMP from Caterpillar Energy Services gives utilities and communities a powerful way forward.

In the latest episode of the Public Power Now podcast, Eric Moerman, a City Council member of the public power community of Sioux Center, Iowa, and the incoming Chair of APPA’s Policy Makers Council, provides an overview of the Policy Makers Council and details how PMC members advocate for APPA’s legislative and regulatory priorities. The PMC’s fly-in meeting in Washington, D.C., will take place this year on July 14-15. 

This episode is sponsored by brought to you by Caterpillar Energy Services. Energy costs are rising -- and municipalities are feeling the pressure to do more with less. Cat AMP from Caterpillar Energy Services gives utilities and communities a powerful way forward.

In the latest episode of the Public Power Now podcast, Jeff Dykes, CEO of Tennessee public power utility BrightRidge, provides details on an initiative with Seven States Power Corporation that calls for the deployment of battery storage as a standalone resource. Dykes also discusses how BrightRidge Broadband has brought benefits to BrightRidge customers.

In the latest episode of the Public Power Now podcast, Gary Huhta, General Manager of Washington State’s Cowlitz PUD, details the steps the PUD has taken to maintain high levels of safety in its workforce and discusses funding it recently received for a grid resilience project.

In the latest episode of the Public Power Now podcast, Michael Coe, Vice President for Physical and Cyber Security Programs, discusses the key cyber and physical threats facing public power utilities these days and details how APPA assists its members in proactively addressing these threats successfully. He also details how APPA works with the federal government to assist its members when it comes to bolstering their cyber and physical security.

In the latest episode of the Public Power Now podcast, Colin Hansen, CEO and General Manager of KPP Energy, provides details on KPP Energy’s new video series, discusses the wide range of services it offers to its member communities and outlines the steps the Kansas joint action agency has been taking to install new generation in member communities. 

In the latest episode of the Public Power Now podcast, Michelle Palmer, Vice President of Technical Services and Compliance, at AMP, discusses the recent expansion of the AMP Member Training Center, a major project that marks further investment in the AMP Lineworker Training Program.

In the latest episode of the Public Power Now podcast, Doug Brown, the new President and CEO of the Illinois Municipal Electric Agency, discusses the steps that IMEA has taken to receive top-tier ratings from the major credit rating agencies. He also details the development of a Request for Proposal to be issued to member municipal utilities to apply to host a pilot battery energy storage system project in their community. Along with his role at IMEA, Brown is also President and CEO of the Illinois Municipal Utilities Association and the Illinois Public Energy Agency.

In the latest episode of Public Power Now, Ashley Day, Education and Visitor Programs Specialist at Holland Board of Public Works, and Dave Koster, General Manager at Holland Board of Public Works, discuss the Michigan public power utility’s outreach to local schools and the ways in which Holland BPW works to educate students about Holland BPW and the broader energy industry, as well as careers in the utility sector.

In the latest episode of Public Power Now, John Bear, President and CEO of the Midcontinent ISO, discusses how MISO is planning for large load growth, details how the grid operator is preparing to meet summer power demand this year and provides an overview of MISO’s long range transmission planning efforts.

In the latest episode of Public Power Now, Tracy Sutten, resource planning manager at Oregon public power utility Springfield Utility Board, describes her role at the utility and details SUB generator loan programs for residential and small business electric customers.

In the latest episode of the Public Power Now podcast, Pat Hart, Senior Director for Resilience Programs at APPA, and Giacomo Wray, Operations Services Senior Manager at APPA, offer details on FEMA mutual aid reimbursement and emergency action plan templates that APPA has produced for the benefit of its member utilities. The templates are available on APPA’s webpage on mutual aid and emergency response (https://www.publicpower.org/mutual-aid-and-emergency-response).

In the latest episode of the Public Power Now podcast, Aggie Serrame, Resilience Program Manager at APPA, offers details on an AI in Risk Management Roundtable that APPA is hosting on April 16. The online event, which is for APPA members only, will bring together utility professionals working in risk management, system planning, forecasting, and grid operations to discuss current and emerging AI-related challenges.

In the latest episode of Public Power Now, Rob Denaburg, senior manager for cybersecurity at the American Public Power Association, said participating in APPA’s new Cybersecurity Accelerator Program has several benefits, which include allowing public power utilities to benchmark their cybersecurity performance against peers and identify areas for improvement. For utilities seeking recognition for their cyber programs, applications are open until June 30.

In the latest episode of Public Power Now, John Tzimorangas, President and CEO of Energy New England, details how Energy New England delivers value and benefits to its public power utility owners. He also discusses FirstLight’s announcement in January that FirstLight has expanded a municipal utility power purchase agreement with Energy New England.

In the latest episode of Public Power Now, Ursula Schryver, Senior Vice President, Education, Training & Events at APPA, highlights key sessions and other activities that will take place at APPA’s National Conference. This year’s National Conference will take place from June 26 to July 1 in Boston and conference sessions will include lessons in resilience and emergency response, what public power needs to know about today's gas market and opportunities and perils of data center load growth.

In the latest episode of the Public Power Now podcast, Marilyn Gilbert, General Manager and CEO of the Brownsville Public Utilities Board, details key elements of the Texas public power utility’s 2026-2030 Strategic Business Plan. She also provides an update on BPUB’s Advanced Metering Infrastructure project.

In the latest episode of the Public Power Now podcast, Kristofor Sellstrom, General Manager of the Jamestown Board of Public Utilities, details the New York public power utility’s community-owned, open-access fiber network project and discusses the utility’s Flex Rate Program, which is an economic development tool. Sellstrom took on the role of General Manager of the BPU in January.

In the latest episode of the Public Power Now podcast, John Pfeiffer, Supervisor of the Line Apprenticeship Program at Arizona public power utility Salt River Project, discusses SRP’s “Grunt Olympics,” a unique way in which SRP tests and trains apprenticeship hopefuls.

In the latest episode of Public Power Now, Danielle Blacet-Hyden, Executive Director of the California Municipal Utilities Association, details a new CMUA campaign aimed at educating legislators, regulators, journalists, and the general public about the value and public benefits of community-owned, not-for-profit power and water utilities in California.  She also discusses her long-term goals for CMUA.

In the latest episode of Public Power Now, Wes Kelley, President and CEO of Huntsville Utilities, the public power utility for Huntsville, Alabama, details the benefits of public power utilities participating in APPA’s 2026 Lineworkers Rodeo, which Huntsville Utilities is hosting. The rodeo will take place on March 27 - 28, 2026.

In the latest episode of Public Power Now, Robin Schoettlin, Recruiting and Outreach Senior Specialist at Nebraska public power utility Lincoln Electric System, details the utility’s new program called Power Pathways. The initiative aims to provide high school students with a structured opportunity to observe, learn from, and interact with professionals at LES.

In the latest episode of Public Power Now, Tom Dankert, General Manager of Austin, Minnesota-based Austin Utilities, discusses how the utility is proactively addressing succession planning and details how the utility benefits from being a member of the Southern Minnesota Municipal Power Agency.

In the latest episode of Public Power Now, Korey Bush, Assistant General Manager for Customer Service at Florida public power utility Lakeland Electric, details how Lakeland Electric’s Customer Academy provides a useful tool for customers to learn more about the utility and the benefits of public power. He also discusses the high marks the utility received in the latest J.D. Power rankings for residential customer electric service. This episode of Public Power Now is sponsored by Sentry Equipment, which provides sampling and process improvement technologies.

In the latest episode of Public Power Now, Cyndi Wentland, the founder of Intentional Leaders, details how public power officials will benefit from participating in a webinar series of APPA’s Leadership Toolkit, which offers a comprehensive path for professional growth. Wentland will be leading the first three webinar series of APPA’s four-part Leadership Toolkit. This episode of Public Power Now is sponsored by Sentry Equipment, which provides sampling and process improvement technologies.

In the latest episode of APPA’s Public Power Now podcast, Brianna Bennett, Sustainability Coordinator at Massachusetts public power utility Hingham Municipal Lighting Plant, and Chris Kelley, Vice President at Beam Reach Consulting Group, discuss a recently completed case study that shows how HMLP achieved savings through a strategic demand response effort. This episode of Public Power Now is sponsored by Sentry Equipment, which provides sampling and process improvement technologies.

Jeff Shaver, investment recovery analyst at Arizona public power utility Salt River Project, details how SRP is recycling old power lines and giving new life to previously un-recyclable material. He also details how SRP customers are benefiting from the recycling effort.

In the latest episode of Public Power Now, Patricia Taylor, Policy Director at APPA, discusses a recently released report by APPA on data centers. Among other things, she explains why APPA prepared the report on serving data centers and discusses some of the challenges utilities may face in serving data center customers.

In the latest episode of the Public Power Now podcast, Kyle Treibs, Superintendent of Electric Department for the City of Fredericksburg, Texas, and Kris Kneese, Director of Public Works & Utilities, for the city, detail how Fredericksburg and the city Electric Department have achieved almost 40 years without a lost time work injury.

In the latest episode of Public Power Now, David Plotz, General Manager of Washington State’s Lewis County PUD, discusses the PUD’s development of a Clean Energy Implementation Plan, details the PUD’s current generation mix and talks about how partnering with bitcoin mining companies as a form of data center load can enhance a utility’s appeal.

In the latest episode of Public Power Now, Scott Corwin, President and CEO of APPA, discusses a wide range of topics with Carrie Meek Gallagher, CEO of the Long Island Power Authority. Among other things, Gallagher said her priorities since being named CEO in June have been centered on stability at the public power utility, affordability and long-term planning. They also discussed LIPA’s continued partnership with PSEG Long Island and a new partnership between LIPA and The Energy Authority.

In the latest episode of Public Power Now, Ursula Schryver, Senior Vice President, Education, Training, and Events, at APPA, highlights sessions that will occur at APPA’s Joint Action Conference in early 2026, as well as discusses other conferences and events APPA will hold next year.

In the latest episode of Public Power Now, Ji Yoon Lee, Manager for Research & Development at APPA, provides details on PowerTRX Pro, which is the new name for the suite of products that public power utilities can use to track and improve operations (formerly the eReliability Tracker and eSafety Tracker).

In the latest episode of Public Power Now, Andy Fusco, Chief Strategy Officer for ElectriCities of North Carolina, details how ElectriCities has utilized APPA’s Reliable Public Power Provider and Smart Energy Provider Programs to help its members improve their operations using these two assessments as a benchmark.

In the latest episode of Public Power Now, Tom Barry, the new CEO and Secretary of the Massachusetts Municipal Wholesale Electric Company, discusses the need for new generation in New England. He also details how MMWEC’s member utilities have benefited from energy storage projects. MMWEC is the joint action agency for public power in Massachusetts.

In the latest episode of Public Power Now, Jeff Haas, Senior Vice President for Membership and Marketing at APPA, discusses the benefits of being a member of APPA and details how advocacy is a cornerstone of APPA’s work.