Waverly Light and Power (WLP) has issued a Request for Proposals to design and build a fiber-to-the-premise (FTTP) broadband network in Waverly.
 Each day in the US, 2000 workers suffer an eye injury that requires medical treatment. The majority of the injuries occur when small particles or objects strike or abrade the eye. Eye hazards also include chemical and thermal burns, cement or wood chips, windblown dust, biological droplets, chemical gases or metal particles.
by Jim Wolfe, IAMU Electric Services Coordinator
The season of shipping woes is creeping upon us. One of the Christmas gifts that you ordered online has inevitably been added to the list of backordered items. Will it get to you on time or will you have to hand someone a gift box with an IOU inside? How would you like to be a business owner than needs a commodity to do business, but can’t get delivery? Many of the nation’s coal fired power plants are dealing with shipping woes when it comes to coal delivery.  Common Ground Iowa has once again prepared a tree for display in the annual Festival of Trees and Lights in Des Moines. The event is a fundraiser for Blank Children's Hospital and will be held Wednesday, November 26th through Sunday, November 30th at the Veterans Memorial Community Choice Credit Union Convention Center.
The IAMU offices will be closed on Thursday, November 27th and Friday, November 28th for the Thanksgiving holiday. Normal office hours will resume on Monday, December 1st.
On behalf of everyone at IAMU, Happy Thanksgiving!  The Iowa Public Information Board (IPIB) has selected Charles Smithson to serve as its new Executive Director effective December 1. Smithson succeeds Keith Luchtel who announced his resignation earlier this year.
 provided by the American Public Gas Association
As a result of the November elections, the Senate has flipped to Republican control with Republicans now holding at least 52 seats. In the House, Republicans have likely picked up 12 seats to increase their seat count to 246. In terms of a legislative agenda, it is anticipated that one of the areas the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources may focus its attention on will be exports and infrastructure.  Fall has been a busy season for appliance standards at the Department of Energy. In September, new standards for refrigerators and freezers went into effect, and updated standards were proposed for commercial roof top air conditioning units. The proposed standards for air conditioning units are currently undergoing a public comment period and a final ruling is expected by the end of 2015, impacting standards in 2019.
 Beginning January 1, 2015, there will be a change to what covered employers are required to report to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration. Employers will now be required to report all work-related fatalities within 8 hours and all in-patient hospitalizations, amputations, and losses of an eye within 24 hours of finding about the incident.
Previously, employers were required to report all workplace fatalities and when three or more workers were hospitalized in the same incident.  The November 4th elections are over and despite the fact that there will be 19 new Legislators sworn in on January 12, 2015, the parties in power and leadership in the Senate and the House Republicans largely remains the same. At the time of this article, the House Democrats have not yet held leadership elections.
The Senate Democrats retained their majority with the same number of seats 26-24, but with three new occupants. Newly elected Democratic senators are Chaz Allen of Newton, Tony Bisignano of Des Moines, and Kevin Kinney of Oxford. The Senate elected Leaders this past weekend. Mike Gronstal, D-Council Bluffs, was re-elected as majority leader, Pam Jochum, D-Dubuque, was re-elected Senate president, and Sen. Steve Sodders, D-State Center, was re-elected president pro-tem. Senator Joe Bolkcom of Iowa City was elected as Majority Whip. Sens. Mary Jo Wilhelm of Cresco, Amanda Ragan of Mason City, Matt McCoy of Des Moines, and Bill Dotzler of Waterloo were elected Assistant Majority Leaders. The Senate Republicans added a new Senator, Tim Kraayenbrink, R-Fort Dodge. The Senate Republicans elected their leaders on Monday afternoon. Bill Dix, R-Shell Rock, was re-elected as Minority Leader and Jack Whitver, R-Ankeny, was re-elected as Minority Whip. Senate Republicans also elected five Assistant Minority Leaders Randy Feenstra, R-Hull; Rick Bertrand, R-Sioux City; Dan Zumbach, R-Ryan; Tim Kapucian, R-Keystone; and Charles Schneider, R-West Des Moines. The Republicans retained control of the House of Representatives and picked up 4 seats, so that they have 57 Republicans and the Democrats have 43. On Monday, House Republicans met and re-elected the leadership team of Rep. Kraig Paulsen, R-Hiawatha, as Speaker of the House and Rep. Linda Upmeyer, R-Clear Lake. Upmeyer, as Majority Leader. Rep. Matt Windschitl, R-Missouri Valley, was re-elected Speaker Pro Temp and Rep. Chris Hagenow, R-Windsor Heights, was re-elected as House Majority Whip. Assistant Majority Leaders: Reps. Lee Hein, R-Monticello; Walt Rogers, R-Cedar Falls; Jarad Klein, R-Keota; and Joel Fry, R-Osceola. On November 6th the Mutual Aid Coordinators met at a meeting in Ankeny to discuss the program and ways for possible improvement. Seventeen of the twenty-eight Primary and Secondary Coordinators from electric, gas and broadband utilities attended along with key IAMU staff.
 Driven primarily by the popularity of streaming video from Netflix, Hulu, and other sites, a new report says the average residential bandwidth needs will grow by 31% annually for the next several years.
The report, sponsored by network equipment manufacturer Ciena and conducted by ACG Research, cites not only the growth of video streaming in the home, but the fact that multiple users on multiple devices are streaming content simultaneously. It's not just Neflix on the TV...it's Netflix, YouTube, and other video sources streaming to computers, tablets, and smartphones as well. For more on the report, CLICK HERE.  By John Erickson, Vice President of Operations for American Public Gas Association.
Reprinted with permission of the APGA I’ve served as a consultant to attorneys in quite a few lawsuits in which natural gas is alleged to have caused damages ranging from multiple deaths from a building explosion to mental anguish caused by “occasional whiffs” of gas odor in another. Unfortunately, there seems to be no argument too far-fetched that a plaintiff won’t involve the utility in the case.  Writing in a blog for the American Council for an Energy Efficient Economy (ACEEE), National Policy Research Analyst Rachel Young talks about the relationship between water and energy. We know that the two resources are connected: We need water to produce electricity, mostly for thermal power plants (though we are going to put that aside today). We need energy to pump water out of the ground, treat it so it is potable, and then re-treat it after we use it to shower or wash clothes. We also need energy to heat water in our homes, businesses, and industrial facilities. Recognizing these intersections opens up opportunities for utilities and businesses to save more energy and conserve more water, while helping policymakers and regulators design more strategic and cross-cutting policies. To read the entire article, CLICK HERE.
 Several IAMU members have asked for guidance tips on the recognition and prevention of Ebola. Ebola is a virus that compromises the immune system and, depending on our bodily response, causes Ebola Hemorrhagic Fever (EHF). Ebola is typically spread through contact with blood or body fluids or from an infected person but aerosolized droplets may also carry the virus. Although the risk of contracting EHF at this time is extremely low, it is important to note that there is no approved vaccine, antiviral therapy or, once contracted, effective treatment Ebola.
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