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NHA’s Scouting Report

Here’s how NHA is working on your behalf

Record Turnout for NHA’s Advocacy Day in Washington D.C.

Advocacy Day on Capitol Hill was an overwhelming success and drove hydropower into the energy permitting reform conversation.

• More than 150 industry professionals and NHA staff participated in 108 total meetings with House and Senate offices, including committee staff and leadership offices.
• Meetings were held with over half of the U.S. Senate offices!
• Over 35 states, as well as Washington, D.C., were represented in this effort.

 

Addressing Hydropower’s Workforce Issues at Waterpower Week

The hydropower industry’s workforce issues are known, which is why NHA has been striving to connect the industry to the next generation of employees.

NHA worked with the U.S. Department of Energy, the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), and the Hydropower Foundation to bring 150 students from 35+ states to Washington D.C. for Waterpower Week in Washington. During the conference, the students participated in the grand finale of the 2023 Hydropower and Marine Energy Collegiate Competitions.

The team from the University of New Hampshire won the marine energy competition; the Endicott College team won the hydropower competition.

Read more HERE. 

Resumes for many of the students are available HERE. 

 

Waterpower in the News

Whether it’s stories covering the generational funding for hydropower, pumped storage, and marine energy or hydro’s bountiful California forecast following intense spring storms, NHA staff has been working with media outlets to publish articles being read by the general public. Below are just two examples of recent press:

• Major US power source facing extinction thanks to red tape, sparking calls for reform 
  • ‘This is an issue that needs to be addressed now,’ top energy industry group tells Fox News Digital
  • By Thomas Catenacci, Fox News, May 18, 2023 

• Bipartisan Senate bill aims to preserve hydropower fleet, spur gigawatts of pumped storage
  • By Ethan Howland, Utility Dive, May 17, 2023 

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Waterpower Trivia Break…

Time to test your waterpower knowledge! In each Playbook edition, we’ll present you with a hydropower or marine energy brainteaser.

QUESTION OF THE WEEK:

Name one out of the three Outstanding Stewards of America’s Waters (OSAW) Award recipients who were announced at last year’s Clean Currents Conference & Tradeshow.

Hint – You can find information about the OSAW Award HERE 

The first three respondents with the correct answer will be announced in the next NHA Member’s Playbook. Email your answer to  info@hydro.org.

Last Edition’s Question:

How many colleges will be participating in the Collegiate Competition? 

Last Edition’s Answer: There were 30 colleges participating in the DOE Waterpower Collegiate Competition. 

 

Upcoming Events

• May 25, 12 PM ET: Small Hydro Council Monthly Meeting
• June 5, 1 PM ET: Markets Committee Monthly Meeting
• June 6, 2 PM ET: Legislative Affairs Committee Monthly Meeting
• June 6, 3 PM ET: Monthly Member Meeting
• June 8, 1 PM ET: Public Affairs Committee Meeting
• June 13: Deadline to Submit a 2023 Outstanding Stewards of America’s Waters (OSAW) Application
• June 15, 1 PM ET: Chief Dam Safety Engineers Roundtable. Contact chris@hydro.org if you are interested in participating.
• June 15, 3 PM ET: FLOW (Future Leaders of Waterpower) Monthly Meeting
• June 20, 4 PM ET: Regulatory Affairs Committee Monthly Meeting
• June 21: 1 PM ET: Monthly Lunch and Learn Series: Asset Owner Case Studies: Operational Lessons Learned and Continuous Improvement (see details in Committee/Council Corner) 
• June 22, 12 PM ET: Small Hydropower Council Monthly Meeting
• July 17: Last Day to Take Advantage of ‘Early Bird’ Registration Rates for Clean Currents Conference + Trade Show
• July 25-26: Northeast Regional Meeting in Springfield, Massachusetts. Host: FirstLight Power
• August 24: National Hydropower Day
• September 12-13: Alaska Regional Meeting, Anchorage, Alaska: Host: Alaska Energy Authority; Association Supporter: Alaska Power Association 
• October 10-13: Clean Currents 2023 in Cincinnati, Ohio
• December 13-14: California Regional Meeting, San Diego, California. Host: San Diego County Water Authority

Committee/Council Corner

Find details on each NHA Committee and Council HERE. 

IMPORTANT: Any employee of an NHA member organization is welcome to participate in any/all of the calls and activities of any committee or council. To get notifications about a particular group listed below (i.e., to “join”), simply email: marla@hydro.org

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Future Leaders of Waterpower (FLOW)

NHA staff contact: Marycella Dumlao

June 15, 3 PM ET: We have an exciting virtual tour of a hydropower facility planned! Join us for an opportunity to chat with the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) about all things waterpower. Add to calendar 

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Hydropower Technical Community

NHA staff contact: Chris Hayes 

June 15, 1 PM ET: Chief Dam Safety Engineers Roundtable. Contact chris@hydro.org if you are interested in participating. Agenda topics will include:

• Periodic Inspections; understanding FERC’s expectations and experiences to date.
• Comprehensive Assessment: Exercise scoping and large range in budgets experienced to date.
• Hot topics: ex updated FERC drilling guidelines and unintended consequences of the Drilling Plan Program.

June 21, 1 PM ET: Lunch and Learn with Asset Owners; “Case Studies: Operational Lessons Learned and Continuous Improvement.” The meeting request/save the date has been sent, and if it’s not on your calendar, then let Chris Hayes (chris@hydro.org) know.  

Dam Safety Part 12 Training, Virtual, taught by Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) Dam Safety and Inspections (D2SI) staff; Recordings are now available! Watch Part 1 and Part 2 for the full training. You will receive an email from Catherine Ryan (catherine@hydro.org) when your PDH certificate is available in the NHA Member Portal.

Lunch and Learn PDH Certificates are coming! You will receive an email from Catherine Ryan (catherine@hydro.org) when your PDH certificate is available in the NHA Member Portal.  

 

Dam Safety Trainings for How to Do Comprehensive Assessments and Risk Analysis

June 6-8: Flood Hazard for Risk Assessment, in person in New Orleans, Louisiana; for details, click HERE 

July 26 –27: Introduction to USACE SQRA and FERC L2RA Processes and Guidelines, in-person in Minneapolis, Minnesota, offered by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers; for details, email: RIDM@ferc.gov or click HERE

September 6-8: Hydrologic Hazard Analysis for L2RA, in-person in Washington, D.C., offered by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC); for details, email: RIDM@ferc.gov.  

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Legislative Affairs Committee

NHA staff contact: Brittney May

• NHA’s Legislator of the Year awards went to Sen. Daines, for his hard work getting the Community and Hydropower Improvement Act introduced, and Sen. Cantwell, for her efforts last Congress on the existing hydropower ITC legislation, which will be reintroduced in the coming months.  
• Reps. Cathy McMorris Rogers (R-WA) and Dan Newhouse (R-WA) are being presented with  Defender of Hydropower Awards for their defense of the hydroelectric projects on the Snake River in the Pacific Northwest; read more HERE. 
• Representatives of the Uncommon Dialogue coalition signed a joint letter of support for S. 1521 –  the Community and Hydropower Improvement Act of 2023. The letter was sent to Chairman Joe Manchin and Ranking Member John Barrasso of the Senate Energy & Natural Resources Committee on May 18, 2023. 

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Marine Energy Council

NHA staff contact: Kelly Rogers

June 6 at 3:00 PM ET: Monthly Member Meeting 

The Marine Energy Priorities Working Group published the Second Edition of the Marine Energy Priorities Position Paper. Read the paper HERE.   

June 21-22: The Pacific Ocean Energy Trust’s (POET) Annual Ocean Renewable Energy Conference (OREC) – Learn more HERE 

Read the NHA POWERHOUSE article by Kelly Rogers, NHA’s Policy and Communications Manager, about U.S. marine energy developments and the upcoming tests at WETS HERE. 

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Markets Committee

NHA staff contact: Michael Purdie

June 5, 1 PM ET: Markets Committee Meeting; please join us, and if you have questions or items to discuss, reach out to Michael Purdie at michael@hydro.org. Last meeting included an overview from SPP on markets + construct; slides are available on the NHA portal.

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Public Affairs Committee

NHA staff contact: LeRoy Coleman

June 8, 1:00 PM ET: *Updated member meeting date*  

August 24 is National Hydropower Day! #HydroDay

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Pumped Storage Development Council

NHA staff contact: Michael Purdie

The Pumped Storage Development Council was well represented at Waterpower Week 2023, which had a variety of sessions devoted to pumped storage, including a plenary session and fireside chat with former Prime Minister of Australia and pumped storage developer, Malcolm Turnbull. 

The May 10th bi-annual Pumped Storage Hydro Forum had record turnout! Important issues were covered, including: challenges related to cost recovery and solidification of PPAs in unregulated markets, the requirement of new DISIS process for Transmission Network access for new pumped storage projects, and developer updates. 

Council Meeting Schedule for 2023: 

• Wednesday, May 10, 3 PM  ET (in-person at Waterpower Week in Washington)  
• Friday, July 14, 1 PM ET  
• Friday, September 8, 1 PM ET  
• October – date TBD (in-person at Clean Currents) 
• Friday, December 8, 1 PM ET  

Calendar Invites (Meeting Requests) have been sent for these meetings. If they are not already on your calendar, let Michael (michael@hydro.org) know and we will forward them. 

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Regulatory Affairs Committee 

NHA staff contact: Michael Purdie

Alert! FERC’s Division of Hydropower Licensing has reorganized its branches, and a new Great Lakes Branch has been created. Emily Carter is the chief of the new branch. Click HERE for more information. 

Friday, May 12, the Treasury Department and IRS released the Domestic Bonus Content guidance. NHA is reviewing the guidance and working with Bracewell to develop a summary; a member meeting will be scheduled soon for additional discussion.  

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Small Hydropower Council

NHA staff contact: Kelly Rogers

Thank you to all those who attended Waterpower Week in Washington, D.C., and participated in the Small Hydro Summit! 

May 25 at 12:00 PM ET: Monthly Member Meeting on the project lifecycle phase of Community Engagement.  

The meeting invite should already be on your calendar, if it’s not, please contact Catherine Ryan at catherine@hydro.org 

In case you missed it, the April Monthly Member Meeting’s presentations recording can be found HERE 

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Waterpower Innovation Council

NHA staff contact: Chris Hayes

June 8, 2:30 PM ET: Leadership Call. Contact chris@hydro.org if you are interested in learning more about future activities. 

 

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Advocacy and Outreach

Call to Action … Reach Out to University Students/Professors to Share 2 Opportunities with Upcoming Deadlines! 

• May 31: Deadline for college or university students to apply for the Julie A. Keil Women in Hydro Scholarship – share this opportunity with college / university students you know. 
• June 8: deadline for university students to apply for the Clean Energy Innovator Fellowship.  

 

Waterpower Week isn’t the Only Time You can Advocate with your Lawmakers. 

If you would like to meet your congressional staff, please email Matt Allen (matthew@hydro.org) and he can help you figure out who to contact. 

 

NHA is pleased to welcome new members to join us every day. 

 

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NHA’s membership is made up of more than 300 companies and organizations. Bookmark the online member directory for easy reference.

Check out other news about NHA member organizations HERE.

 

Ibrahim Agor joins Kleinschmidt Associates as a Senior Engineering Consultant. 

Have Movers & Shakers tips? Email Us: jeremy@hydro.org

 

Grand River Dam Authority for being recognized by the Government Finance Officers Association for “Excellence in Financial Reporting.” 

Scott Barta, Assistant Vice President of Hydroelectric Operations at American Municipal Power (AMP), for being recognized with AMP’s DNA Award – an award given to those critical to the organization’s foundation. 

Troutman Pepper for being named as finalists for the 2023 Wind Investment Awards, recognized in the “Rising Star of the Year” and “Legal Advisory of the Year” categories. 

Do you know of NHA member organizations or employees working for those organizations who deserve a public pat on the back? Please share with marla@hydro.org. 

Missed a funding webinar? No problem! The recordings are saved in the NHA Member Portal. To access follow these easy steps

STEP 1: Log into the NHA Member Portal with your email address – Log in to the Portal here   

STEP 2:   Click on “On-Demand Resources” on the left-hand menu under “Member Portal Navigation” 

STEP 3: Click on “Broad Industry Topics” to find the funding webinar records and other resources

 

Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Tip of the Week

As part of NHA’s commitment to investing in inclusive policies and actions that advance equity at every level of our industry, we will include a Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) Tip in each Member Playbook.     

We encourage you to practice these tips, share your experiences, and offer suggestions for future weeks! 

 

The Business Case for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion:  

Did you know that organizations that invest in gender diversity can outperform less gender-diverse organizations by up to 48%?  

This information comes from a 2020 study, conducted by leading management consulting company McKinsey & Company,  which found that companies with the most ethnic and cultural diversity outperformed the least ethnically and culturally diverse companies by 36%.  

Cultivating a diverse team, where members feel welcome to share their real perspectives, is both critical and has compounding benefits for all! 

Read more about DEI at NHA HERE.   

How NHA is helping its members connect, learn, network, and do business with each other and the entire waterpower industry

Share What You Read 

Like what you see on the POWERHOUSE media platform? Share it on your social media channels! 

Sharing is so easy – any POWERHOUSE article can be instantly shared on your social media accounts, just by “clicking a button” – see graphic below 

 

Learn more about NHA’s POWERHOUSE Media Platform HERE 

 

 

Getting On Your Radar…

FERC Offers Complimentary Cyber and Physical Security Assessments 

The Office of Energy Security (OEIS) at the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) offers hydro project licensees free, in-depth assessments of the owner’s networks and systems being used to protect energy infrastructure from cyber and physical risks. The program is called the Cybersecurity Architecture Assessment Program (AAP). Contact Andrew.Dodge@ferc.gov for more information and to arrange an assessment. 

 

Mark Your Calendar 

June 5, 11-12 PM ET: Virtual, InDEEP Competitor Webinar: Technology Performance Level Assessment. Join the InDEEP Competitor Webinar: Technology Performance Level Assessment to learn the ins and outs of the tool that will help assess your concept and must be submitted as a part of the prize’s Phase I submission package.  

June 13: Applications due for Outstanding Stewards of America’s Waters Awards (OSAW) Deserving organizations in hydropower and marine energy that exhibit exemplary operational, educational, historical, recreational, or environmental enhancement and stewardship should apply. Learn more HERE. 

• Featured Event Report: Overhead Door Malfunction & Subsequent Vehicle Damage
  •  Read the detailed event report
• An OpEx Event Report is an event or near miss experienced by a hydropower operator related to its operations, maintenance, environmental performance, or safety (dam, employee, or public). Have an experience to share? Submit an Event Report at hydroexcellence.org.

The NHA member-only OpEx program is the hydropower industry’s only voluntary event reporting system that receives, distributes, archives, and catalogs operating experiences and resulting best practices and lessons learned. 

Industry Job Opportunities

NHA Member Organizations are eligible for discounts on job postings on the NHA Career Center. Reach out to Catherine Ryan at catherine@hydro.org with any questions. 

 

Chelan County PUD is hiring a Drafting Technician 

 

The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) is hiring an Environmental Protection Specialist 

 

City of Tacoma is hiring a Science and Research Manager 

 

The University of California San Diego is hiring a Precipitation Scientist 

Funding & Technical Assistance Opportunities

Check Out Additions to NHA’s New Funding Sources Reference Guide 

• To help navigate the massive funding opportunities for clean energy, NHA has created a reference guide of funding opportunities applicable to your hydropower, pumped storage, and marine energy projects.

 

Deadlines  

June 5: For Tidal and Current Energy Site Development: Concept Papers due. (NOTE: Submission of a concept paper is required to apply for the $35 million for development of a pilot tidal and/or current technology demonstration site in state waters) Learn more HERE. 

 

June 19: For Marine Energy Technology Developers – Deadline to submit a request for proposals to the Ocean Energy Safety Institute (OESI), to receive funding for marine energy solutions. Read more HERE. 

 

June 20: Deadline to submit an application for receiving Hydroelectric Efficiency Improvement Incentives Payments ($75 million available, via updated guidance in Section 243 of the Energy Policy Act of 2005 Hydroelectric Production Incentives).

• Owners or operators of existing hydroelectric facilities, including pumped storage hydropower, may apply for funding to make capital improvements that can improve facilities’ efficiency by at least 3%.
• An incentive payment shall not exceed 30 percent of the costs of the applicable capital improvement(s); no more than one incentive payment may be made to a single qualified hydroelectric facility, including pumped storage hydropower, in any fiscal year; and that shall not exceed $5 million.
• Applications must be submitted to the Clean Energy Infrastructure Funding Opportunity Exchange, Apply HERE  

 

June 22: Deadline to submit a letter of intent to submit an application for receiving funding for Maintaining and Enhancing Hydroelectric Facilties ($553.6 million available, via guidance in the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL) provision 40333 and Energy Policy Act of 2005 (EPAct) section 247. NOTE: To be eligible to file a full application, prospective applicants must first file a Letter of Intent. Learn more HERE.  

 

July 7: For marine energy technology developers! Deadline to Submit an Application to request testing, expertise, and technical support to aid in bringing your device to market. 

 

July 13: For Community-Led Tidal and/or Current Energy Planning and Development: Concept Papers due. (NOTE: Submission of a concept paper is required to apply for the $10 million for collaboration with a remote community to inform the technology design and development process and drive community engagement and education. Learn more HERE. 

 

August 25: For wave energy technology developers. Deadline to submit a proposal for phase 1 of the InDEEP prize for funding to investigate novel technologies for harnessing and converting the power of ocean waves into usable types of energy.

• The prize seeks to foster the development of distributed embedded energy converter technologies (DEEC-Tec), which combine many small energy converters, often less than a few centimeters in size, into a single, larger ocean wave energy converter.
• This larger system could convert energy from a wide range of ocean locations and wave types.
• InDEEP aims to support early-stage DEEC-Tec research that lays the foundation for the eventual deployment of these technologies at all scales, including to provide power to electricity grids.
• Phase I will center on team building and concept creation, awarding up to 20 teams $15,000 each.
• Click HERE for more details.  

Want to Team with a U.S. Department of Energy National Lab to Work on Long-Duration Storage?

  

Click HERE to add your organization to the list of teaming partners.

 

Background:

• U.S. Department of Energy’s Office of Technology Transitions (OTT) and Office of Clean Energy Demonstrations (OCED) is making up to $15 million available for DOE National Laboratories to do work in two areas: long-duration energy storage and clean hydrogen.  
• Labs are to bring together stakeholders to facilitate discussion around divergent practices, identify commercialization challenges, and work collaboratively to develop and begin to implement recommendations and best practices for resolving challenges that arise from many entities doing similar work in isolation.
• Labs access a Teaming Partner List to find organizations who are interested in exploring partnerships with them.
• Click HERE to add your organization to the list of teaming partners.

 

Are You a Small Business Looking for Loan Financing?

 

Applications being accepted on a rolling basis for the US Department of Agriculture’s Rural Energy for America Program (REAP) Renewable Energy Systems & Energy Efficiency Improvements State-Level Guaranteed Loans & Grants

 

Funding for a Tidal RD&D site, Community‐led Tidal Energy Planning and Project Execution

 

The Department of Energy released a revised Notice of Intent (NOI) for the $45 million funding opportunity titled, “Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL), Section 41006(a)(2): U.S. Tidal Energy Advancement.” See the revised notice HERE. No application timeline has been released yet.