The Iowa Economic Development Authority (IEDA) and the Iowa Energy Center (IEC) board have launched two financial assistance programs that support projects and initiatives that align with the Iowa Energy Plan and IEC’s activities. The IEC Grant Program and Alternate Energy Revolving Loan Program (AERLP) have been designed to facilitate energy-related economic development in Iowa.

“We’re pleased to launch the Energy Center’s grant and loan programs and encourage interested Iowans to submit innovative, impactful and diverse projects that maximize the energy-economic benefits throughout our state,” said Debi Durham, Director of IEDA and the Iowa Finance Authority. “Energy is an important resource and key economic advantage for Iowa and these program offerings will provide new opportunities for collaboration and spark innovation,” said Durham. 

The IEC Grant Program is funded by gas and electric utilities across Iowa and is open to Iowa businesses, colleges and universities and private nonprofit agencies and foundations. The program provides grants to eligible applicants for projects that provide a benefit to Iowa’s electric and natural gas utility customers. Projects must also aid in the implementation of at least one of the seven key focus areas of the Iowa Energy Plan. Grant awards will range from $10,000 to $1,000,000; however, most grants awarded will be in the $150,000-to-$300,000 range. The IEC board will make at least one funding announcement per fiscal year and the application process will include both a pre-application and application phase. Pre-applications for the program are due April 19, 2019 and accepted through IowaGrants.gov. 

The AERLP provides zero-interest loans to eligible borrowers for alternate energy production projects, including but not limited to solar, wind, biomass. and combined heat and power. The AERLP can improve the feasibility of energy projects for businesses, farmers, individuals, water and wastewater utilities, and rural water and sanitary districts. Loan amounts may range from $25,000 to $1 million and cover up to 50 percent of eligible project costs. The IEC board will make funding decisions at least once per quarter and loans will be administered by IEDA. The first deadline for applications is May 31, 2019 and applications are accepted through IowaGrants.gov.

The Iowa Energy Center has historically offered financial assistance for energy-related projects. When management of, and responsibility for, the IEC transitioned to IEDA by legislative mandate in October 2017, the board began evaluating existing projects and putting together the framework for the new programs launched today. The IEC board members are governor-appointed and represent academia, state government, and Iowa utilities. The list of current IEC board members is available here.

“Today’s announcement is the culmination of careful and collaborative work by the Energy Center Board, IEDA staff and stakeholders to design innovative finance programs that build upon Iowa’s energy leadership and support the Energy Plan’s vision and goals,” said Tim Whipple, IEC Board Chair and General Counsel for the Iowa Association of Municipal Utilities.

For additional information, please visit iowaeconomicdevelopment.com/energycenter.

The next edition of CBAN's "Lunch and Learn" webinar series addresses a looming issue for cities across the nation: the FCC's 5G and Small Cell Order.

5G and Small Cell: What Cities Need To Know will be held on Thursday, March 28th at Noon CDT. Ken Demlow of HR Green will review the FCC's order outlining what cities must do to enact local control over the siting of 5G and small cell wireless facilities. That order is due to go into effect on April 15th, and many communities may not have addressed the issue yet.

The webinar is limited to 100 attendees and advance registration is required. To register in advance for this meeting, go to the following link:

https://zoom.us/meeting/register/8cf34323bd97d8cd66858a512be5123a 

After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting. You are encouraged to register early to ensure your participation. However, the webinar will be recorded and made available afterwards at www.broadbandaction.com.

For more information on the FCC's order and possible impacts on cities, CLICK HERE for an article at www.broadbandnow.com.

 Important! Please bring the following items to the workshop:

• IDNR Draft CCR mailed in March 2019
• If you operate a surface water system: You must bring your turbidity information. Highest single measurement and the lowest monthly percentage of samples meeting turbidity limits from 2018 calendar year
• If you add Fluoride, bring the highest and lowest lab results from 2018
• Jump (flash) drive for ease of saving

Hope to see you there!

Southwest Iowa continues to deal with massive flooding. Here is the latest updated from the Iowa Department of Natural Resources on the flooding’s impact on water supplies.
 
SOUTHWEST IOWA – This morning the City of Glenwood's water treatment plant was inundated by the floodwaters, forcing the plant to be shut down and city officials have issued a boil water advisory.
 
Trucks will be hauling approximately 300,000 gallons per day from the cities of Red Oak and Shenandoah to Glenwood's water treatment plant in the meantime.
 
Glenwood's water treatment plant connection to the City of Pacific Junction has been completely shut off to conserve what water is remaining. 
 
Earlier this week, the City of Hamburg's water treatment plant was inundated by floodwaters and was shut down. Water will be trucked in from the City of Shenandoah to Hamburg and a bottled water advisory is in effect for residents.
 
Further updates on these situations will be provided as soon as they become available.
 
MEDIA CONTACT: 

• Keith Wilken, DNR Environmental Specialist, (712) 250-8646, Keith.Wilken@dnr.iowa.gov
• Alex Murphy, DNR Director of Communications, (515) 729-7533, Alex.Murphy@dnr.iowa.gov
  

This year’s annual report forms are now available on the IUB website. Because of the delay in this year’s forms being available, the IUB has extended the deadline to submit the reports. Reports, which are usually due April 1, will be due by June 1 this year. For more information and to access the report forms, go to: https://iub.iowa.gov/records-information/file-utility-annual-report.

IAMU will hold a Trenching and Shoring Competent Person Workshop from 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. on March 21 at the IAMU Training and Office Complex and another one on April 11.

OSHA requires a competent person be onsite at every excavation. The competent person is required to evaluate site safety and resolve existing and potential hazards. 

This workshop is designed for city and utility employees and outside contractors employed by a city, or anyone working in a trenching and shoring situation.  It is an excellent opportunity to become qualified as a competent person (or stay current with the responsibilities).

The DNR has approved 0.6 CEUs for WD and WW only.

The training received will cover the overall requirements of the law, including:

• Employee Safety
• Dealing with traffic
• Soil identification
• Emergency equipment
• Determining if shoring is needed
• Proper methods of trenching and shoring

Contact the contractors that work for your city/utility and encourage them to register and attend. For more information or to register, click here for the March 21 workshop and click here for the April 11 workshop.

The Iowa Association of Municipal Utilities Safety Services department will be holding mobile crane certification and examination classes for digger derrick, service truck, and mobile crane operators.  OSHA’s updated crane standard REQUIRES that operators of lifting equipment be trained, evaluated and tested in order to obtain certification.

Background Information:
Although the new standard, 29 CFR 1926 Subpart CC, specifically exempts the digger derrick and the operator from meeting the requirements of the standard, the exemption applies only when it is used for work within the provisions of the power generation, transmission and distribution standards, or for construction work within the telecommunications standard.  The exemption does not apply if the digger derrick is used for lifting materials or to operate in working environments outside the scope of the standard because the equipment is essentially being used as a mobile crane.  For example, unloading materials from a truck, lifting a motor from a pump house to assist your water department, or providing assistance to any other city department will mean that the exemption no longer applies.  When equipment is used as a mobile crane, all provisions of the standard apply, including the operator certification rule.  OSHA also now requires that an operator be certified in specific areas when they operate equipment outfitted with a boom and winch and able to lift at least 2,000 pounds.  This includes service trucks in your public works, or water departments.

The new standard has very specific operator requirements, one being to obtain operator certification from an independent testing organization accredited by a nationally recognized organization.  OSHA’s updated crane standard, 1926.1427 in Subpart CC, requires that for a testing organization to be considered accredited to certify operators, it must be accredited by a nationally recognized accrediting agency based on that agency’s determination that industry recognized criteria for written testing materials, practical examinations, test administration, grading, facilities/equipment and personnel have been met.  IAMU is an Accredited Assessment Center through the National Center for Construction Education Research (NCCER).  We are authorized to conduct both hands-on assessments and practical examinations which are part of our Mobile Crane Operator Certification Program.  Additionally, we are offering Qualified Hand Signal Person and Qualified Rigger programs (available at a future date).

Who Should Attend:
Digger derrick and service truck crane operators who do not currently hold a mobile crane operator’s certification.

What Do These Classes and Certification Consist Of:
Classes will be a week long, requiring classroom instruction, an on-line exam that has a 80% pass requirement, a practical exam for certification of mobile crane, and then finally a short class and practical exam for the signalperson and rigging qualifications. Students who pass the written and practical exams receive nationally recognized certification from the National Center for Construction Education Research (NCCER).

Where Do These Classes Take Place:
IAMU Training and Office Complex
1735 NE 70th Avenue
Ankeny, IA  50021

When Will Classes Be Held:
Dates have been scheduled for 2019 at the IAMU complex (unless otherwise noted).  Please click HERE or visit the IAMU website for available dates.

April 29 – May 3
June 10-14
June 24-28 (NW Iowa Region)
August 19-23
October 7-11
December 9-13
 
Mobile Crane Operator Certification/Examination Class Schedule:
 
Monday & Tuesday
9:00 to 4:30 p.m.
Classroom

Wednesday
8:00 to 4:30 p.m.
Classroom/Exams

Thursday
8:00 to 4:30 p.m.
Practical Exams

Friday (if needed)
8:00 to 4:30 p.m.
Retake Exams

Examination retakes are $100 and may be taken during any scheduled exam date.

Additional Notes:
Registration for each class will open according to the following schedule:

• April Class – Registration open March 4
• June #1 Class – Registration open April 15
• June #2 Class – Registration open April 29
• August Class – Registration open June 24
• October Class – Registration open August 12
• December Class – Registration open October 14

There is a maximum of 16 participants per class session.

Lunch will be provided.

All participants will attend classroom days. Exams will take place on the Thursday of each class session. Depending on the number of participants, Wednesday evening and Friday may also be used for exams.

Study guides will be mailed for each participant to review before class.  Each participant will need to create an account with NCCER before class; step-by-step instructions are included with the study guide.  Please bring your account number with you to class.

For additional information about the classes and online registration for each event, click HERE.

If you have any questions in regards to the classes, or requirements, please contact:
Margret Meade, IAMU Safety Specialist (mmeade@iamu.org)
Dan Llewellyn, IAMU Electric Services Coordinator (dllewellyn@iamu.org)
Phone:  (800) 810-4268

The local chapter of the American Society of Safety Professionals is looking for sponsors for its 2019 conference scheduled for May 9 at DuPont Pioneer in Johnston, Iowa.
 
For more information about sponsorships, you may contact IAMU Safety Specialist
Nathan Berry at nberry@iamu.org.
 
For more information about the conference or to register, click here.

Don’t forget to thank gas utility workers for all that they do.
 
Next Monday, March 18, is National Natural Gas Utility Workers' Day. March 18 is the date of the New London, Texas school explosion in 1937 that led to the widespread odorization of natural gas and an increased emphasis on gas safety. Safety is a vital aspect to natural gas distribution, and the employees of distribution companies endeavor to make natural gas delivery as safe as possible.

Please honor the natural gas utility workers in your community and at your system by celebrating.

The latest edition of IAMU's Toolbox Talks - Ladder and Fall Protection Training is now available.  Click here to download it.

Other Toolbox Talk articles are available here.

If you have a Toolbox Talk idea, please send it to Margret Meade.