Chris Jones

The meeting commenced with the Pledge of Allegiance. Key actions included the approval of the revised agenda and the audit/certification of numerous vouchers and payroll transactions. The District welcomed a new Principal Engineer, Craig Ripplinger. A safety report highlighted 203 days without incidents, and the HR Generalist discussed recent and upcoming safety training topics. The Customer Services Supervisor provided winter safety tips. Commissioners provided updates on attendance at various external organizational meetings. Staff reported on upcoming union negotiations and discussed local economic conditions. During the public comment period, a member of the public raised concerns regarding a WSU Solar Storage Feasibility Facility presentation and its potential impact on District facilities. A financial review covered budgeted vs. actual cash flows and November financials, with preparation noted for the upcoming Baker Tilly audit. Action items involved the unanimous approval to declare a 2024 Freightliner Altec Digger Derrick as surplus property and the unanimous approval for the purchase of a new Altec D3050E Digger Derrick. The session concluded with governance training regarding the Open Public Meetings Act and Public Records, followed by an executive session to discuss pending and/or potential litigation.

This Clean Energy Implementation Plan for Pend Oreille PUD outlines strategies to meet clean energy standards under the Clean Energy Transformation Act (CETA) for the 2026-2029 period, focusing on maintaining reliability and affordability. The plan includes resource and clean energy targets, energy efficiency and demand response goals, renewable energy objectives, and equity and public engagement actions. It aims to achieve statewide clean energy standards of no coal by 2025, greenhouse gas neutrality by 2030, and 100% clean electricity by 2045, with a commitment to ensuring an equitable transition, increasing low-income assistance, improving reliability, and optimizing power supply agreements, all informed by public input.

The Clean Energy Implementation Plan (CEIP) for Pend Oreille County PUD #1 outlines specific actions and targets for the 2026-2029 compliance period to meet Clean Energy Transformation Act (CETA) standards. It focuses on establishing interim targets for renewable and nonemitting resources, alongside specific targets for energy efficiency and demand response. A core component is ensuring an equitable transition by addressing the needs of highly impacted communities and vulnerable populations through initiatives like low-income weatherization and expanded outreach, while maintaining consistency with integrated resource plans and fostering public participation.

This document provides a draft review of the 2026 Utility Resource Plan, outlining a strategic approach to manage future energy resources. It covers load forecasting, evaluation of existing resources, ensuring resource adequacy according to CETA and WRAP standards, and considering regulatory and market influences. The plan emphasizes optimizing hydroelectric resources, promoting cost-effective energy conservation and demand response, and initiating an all-source RFP for capacity needs to address customer priorities for affordability, reliability, and local energy independence.

The meeting commenced with the Pledge of Allegiance. Key actions included the unanimous approval of vouchers totaling over $4.7 million across various transaction types. Commission members provided updates on recent workshops and meetings attended. Commission business involved the unanimous pre-approval of travel and meeting attendance for January and the welcoming of a new HR Generalist. Action items included the unanimous election of 2026 Board Officers, approving the 2026 Budget Resolution No. 1503, the 2026 Board Meetings Calendar Resolution No. 1504, District Organization Representation for 2026, and the Strategic Plan for 2026-2030. The Board also unanimously approved the First Amendment to the Safety Consultant Contract No. 24-054 and the contract award for Six 15kV Power Circuit Breakers (Contract No. 25-309) to Siemens Industry, Inc. for $210,977.84. Finally, the purchase of wholesale capacity for the Winter Power Supply Transaction was approved. The meeting concluded with a 60-minute executive session to review the performance of a public employee, following which no further action was taken.