Contents Volume 17
Number 4
On the cover: Jazmine Joy Anderson, a Brave the Shave St. Baldrick’s honoree, helps Touchstone Energy® cooperatives unveil the Fourth of July float with root beer floats on June 27. Also attending were special guests, such as Mickey Mouse pictured above with Beckham Holen, the son of Jen Holen, Basin Electric event planner/charitable giving coordinator.
In Every Issue 1 CEO and General Manager’s Column: Paul Sukut 14 Member Focus: Creating an “aha” moment 16 Feature Series: A day in the life of ... Kermit Pearson 18 News Briefs 22 Employee Highlights Feature Stories 2 Page by page: Basin Electric tackles 111(d) rule 4 Teamwork keeping urea production project on track 6 A garden of opportunities 8 Keep calm and co-op on 11 Journey to joining SPP: Part 3 12 ‘Why Basin?’ and ‘Stay Basin’ series feature new, veteran employees Editor: Andrea Blowers, ablowers@bepc.com Publications Manager: Mary Miller Graphic Designer: Chelsy Ciavarella Photographers: Steve Crane & Chelsy Ciavarella Contributors: Tracie Bettenhausen, Chris Gessele, Dain Sullivan, Lindsey DeKrey & Joan Dietz
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CEO and General Manager’s Column:
Paul Sukut I’m off of a long weekend with my family and friends as we celebrated the Fourth of July. This year the cooperative family was ready to shine during the Mandan, ND, Annual Independence Day Parade. Unfortunately, Mother Nature had other ideas and the parade was cancelled, but co-op employee and family member volunteers still helped spread our Touchstone Energy® float theme, “Keep Calm and Co-op On,” through social media and other means. While it was a fun take on an ever-popular saying, I find this theme so fitting. Throughout all the challenges facing cooperatives – past and present – we always put our heads down and co-op on. We roll up our sleeves, work together, and never shy away from a fight. When one co-op faces a challenge – be it from Mother Nature or a territorial dispute – the entire family bands together and fights. It’s what co-ops do. In this issue, you’ll read about what “cooperative” means to various employees. You’ll also hear from Board Vice President Kermit Pearson in our “Day in the life” series. Kermit says cooperatives work to improve the quality of life for their members. Those words are simply put, but they carry significant weight. Through every difficult decision we’ve ever had to make, our driving force is to make our members’ lives better. We’re currently working to understand the implications of the Environmental Protection Agency’s 111(d) rule. Our primary concerns lie in what this rule ultimately means for our member-consumers. The many impending regulations – especially those facing coal – are murky. But, we’re committed to walk right through them and fight for coal’s viability while also working to build upon our strong environmental record. Years ago, the Basin Electric membership directed us to grow our renewable portfolio to represent 10 percent of our generation capacity. We’ve surpassed that, and today, we have a diversified energy portfolio that better positions us for the future. In July our board is deciding whether or not Basin Electric will formally join the Southwest Power Pool (SPP) regional transmission organization (RTO). This follows years of evaluation, collaboration with the membership, negotiations with RTOs and deep analysis. In the end, SPP proved to be a positive fit for our membership. Again, while
this is a complex issue, joining SPP ultimately means market access. Through charitable giving, volunteer work, grassroots development and working through complex issues, cooperatives continue to be leaders in their communities, influence change and in the words of Kermit, make life better. Here are just a few examples: • The extraordinary efforts of the South Dakota Association of Rural Electric Cooperatives and Sioux Valley Energy, Colman, SD, to foster leadership among our youth. You’ll read more about this in future issues of Basin Today. • Members’ innovative energy efficiency programs, especially, the “Littlest User Contest,” where six member households each from Wright-Hennepin Cooperative Electric Association, Rockford, MN, and Lake Region Electric Cooperative, Pelican Rapids, MN, vied for four months to see who could achieve the biggest energy savings. • Verendrye Electric’s decision two years ago to organize area co-ops to restore electricity to a flood-ridden park in Minot, ND. Despite the park being served by an investorowned utility, the cooperatives knew an electrified park meant a stronger community. • Last year’s nationwide cooperative response to the tornadoes in Oklahoma, led to hundreds of thousands of dollars in donations to serve impacted co-op members, not to mention countless cards and care packages. This list, and so many other stories, make me proud to work for an electric cooperative, and it makes me want to do more. I’ve attended various cooperative annual meetings this summer, and it has been especially gratifying to celebrate many co-ops’ 75th anniversaries. Their stories all start the same: with a handful of members committed to bringing the unthinkable to rural America – electricity. Today, cooperatives continue their record of innovation; we work to find solutions, we take measured risks, and we believe it is our responsibility to build a brighter future for the next generation.
Paul Sukut, CEO and general manager
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Page by page Basin Electric tackles 111(d) rule By Dain Sullivan On June 2, the U.S. energy industry shifted its gaze. Utilities from around the nation came face-to-face with a 648-page document that threatens the future of affordable, accessible and reliable electricity – a future made possible with coal. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) released its proposed carbon rule for existing coal plants, calling for a 30-percent emissions cut by 2030. A final rule is scheduled to be in place June 2015, with many states being required to provide a plan to meet EPA’s expectations by June 2016. The clock is ticking, and the recently created Energy-Producing States Coalition continues to review the proposed rule, seeking common sense solutions that won’t leave anyone in the dark.
Clean Air Act is wrong approach
Since working with North Dakota health officials to host the Energy-Producing States Summit in April, Basin Electric has provided a significant voice to the coalition. The cooperative remains focused on communicating with other energy states on how to address the 111(d) proposal. Mike Eggl, Basin Electric senior vice president of Communications & Administration, anticipates much further discussion in the coming months. One of the coalition’s main focus areas is EPA’s use of the Clean Air Act, which was adopted for emissions that directly impact human health. Carbon dioxide (CO2) does not fall under that category. “The current approach to carbon regulation is wrong for our country and our energy future,” Eggl says. “Developing a rule in isolation from a comprehensive global energy policy will not only do almost nothing to curb CO2 emissions worldwide, but it will limit the potential for innovative solutions that would keep coal a viable part of our energy future and economy.” Eggl also says Congress has failed the states in carbon regulation discussions.
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“Congress’ inability to develop a comprehensive legislative solution has meant that the EPA has had to use its existing statutes to regulate CO2,” he says. “While it appears EPA has attempted to utilize as much flexibility in the process as possible, this may go beyond what is legally viable and will likely be challenged in court.” While Basin Electric and the coalition recognize the Clean Air Act is the wrong place for CO2 regulation, they understand the need for addressing emissions. Basin Electric is dedicated to going above and beyond expectations when it comes to benefiting the environment. “Basin Electric is rooted in environmental stewardship and innovation,” Eggl says. “We’ve worked hard to diversify and improve our renewable energy portfolio. And, as always, we’re engaged in ways to best serve our member-owners during ongoing regulation discussions.”
How the rule works
EPA’s proposal sets state-by-state emissions rate targets for 2030, and the national 30-percent reduction target is relative to a 2005 baseline year. Individual emissions rate targets vary for each state. Calculations presented by EPA are based on states’ ability to improve heat rates at existing coal-based plants by 6 percent; increase capacity factors at natural gas power plants to 70 percent; add new renewable generation; retain existing nuclear generation; and increase end-use energy efficiency. Additionally, each state has been given the option to group with other states to meet target emissions rates, and states must submit state implementation plans by either 2016 for individual states, or 2017 for groups of states. EPA’s proposal says implementation of the CO2 rule, which starts in 2020, must be measureable, verifiable, enforceable, contain penalties, and have interim targets. The proposed rule also says EPA will not provide New Source
Review (NSR) relief, which will limit the ability of utilities to meet the 6 percent increase in heat rates. NSR requires that any major modification in a power plant adhere to the same emission standards as a brand new plant.
More specifics
EPA’s proposed rule includes additional goals for states. The agency aims to increase end-use energy efficiency between 2020 and 2029. In addition to having state plans, the proposed rule also says EPA expects regional plans for individual states by June 2016, and grouped states by June 2018. EPA’s proposed default method for states to meet goals is rate-based, but the agency says states can choose mass (i.e. a cap on total emissions). Some facilities, however, are exempt from the rule. These include operations 25 megawatts or smaller, as well as ones that generate electricity for sale less than 219,000 megawatt hours per year. The proposed carbon rule would also affect end-use consumers, a point raised by Jo Ann Emerson, CEO of the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association (NRECA). “Americans count on affordable and reliable energy to power our communities, promote job and economic growth, and keep costs in line for the basic necessities in our family budgets,” she said in an NRECA statement. “New EPA regulations that add to the price of electricity have serious consequences for our communities, jobs and families.”
A time to review
EPA will hold four public hearings for the proposed rule the week of July 28, opening further discussion for interested parties. Hearings will be held in Atlanta, GA; Denver, CO; Pittsburgh, PA; and Washington, D.C. Basin Electric plans on sending representation to at least one of the meetings. As Basin Electric and the Energy-Producing States Coalition continue to examine EPA’s proposed rule, Senior Legislative Representative Dale Niezwaag says it’s important that states work together. “We’re still going to have to keep a close relationship with the states because the ability to work together to meet the goal might be very important,” he says. With Basin Electric serving members in nine states, Niezwaag adds that further careful review is needed. “EPA’s proposed rule is more complex than we anticipated, and having to figure out how to meet the goal in each of our operating states will take some time,” he says. Niezwaag also says the coalition’s top issues, represented in a recent letter to the White House’s Office of Management and Budget, remain a key focus area. Ultimately, the coalition wants EPA to ensure that states maintain the primary responsibility for implementing federal rules or guidelines; understand that the current timeline for implementing the rule is unrealistic and unachievable; see to it that the rule does not adversely affect the ability to maintain affordable, accessible and reliable electricity; and recognize the concern that carbon capture technologies identified as being available for new or retrofit applications have not been proven and successfully operated. In the meantime, Eggl says Basin Electric continues to analyze EPA’s proposal in detail, to better understand implications cooperative-wide and state-to-state. “We’ll be working closely with our membership to provide EPA with detailed feedback,” he says.
(From left) Basin Electric’s Mike Eggl and Senior Legislative Representatives Dale Niezwaag and Steve Tomac continue to study the extensive details in EPA’s proposed 111(d) rule on carbon regulation for existing power plants.
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Teamwork
keeping urea production project on track Project team working to finish project in ‘tight timeframe’ By Chris Gessele Raised in Wheatland, WY, Jim Greer’s fascination with energy began almost right from the start. “When I was very young I watched (Basin Electric’s) Laramie River Station get built. That kind of got in my blood, so the energy industry has always been something that interested me,” Greer says. Greer accepted the position of project manager and supervisor at Dakota Gas in December 2013, and was promoted to Basin Electric senior project manager. He’s now putting that passion into action. He was named project manager of Dakota Gasification Company’s urea production facility project in early June.
Project background
The Dakota Gas board of directors approved the addition of the $402 million urea production facility at the Great Plains Synfuels Plant near Beulah, ND, on Jan. 27 at a special meeting. Urea, a granular fertilizer commonly used in agricultural applications, will be the 11th product for the Synfuels Plant. Dakota Gas currently produces two other fertilizers, ammonia and ammonium sulfate (Dak Sul 45®). Producing urea requires anhydrous ammonia and carbon dioxide (CO2), both of which are produced at the Synfuels Plant. According to Dave Sauer, Dakota Gas senior vice president and chief operating officer, urea has the highest nitrogen content of all solid fertilizers, but costs less to handle, store and transport than other nitrogen-based fertilizers. The project includes construction of a storage facility that can hold about 53,000 tons of granular urea, as well as a new load-out facility for trucks and railcars with the capacity to load up to 110 railcars in a single shipment. Dakota Gas expects about 750 temporary construction workers on site during construction of the project, Greer says, and plans are to hire 40-50 additional employees over the next several years to operate and maintain the facility. The urea plant is scheduled for completion in early 2017 and is designed to produce 1,100 tons of urea daily. The production facility will be located on the east side of the Synfuels Plant site. While the urea can be sold anywhere, Dakota Gas’ target market area will be about a 250-mile radius from the Synfuels Plant, according to Sauer, which will benefit the local Jim Greer, Basin Electric senior project manager.
rail and truck load-out facility
urea storage facility
urea melt building
DEF storage tank ammonia supply line urea granulation building
urea control room
and regional agricultural communities. The new facility will also produce diesel exhaust fluid (DEF), the 12th product for the Synfuels Plant. DEF is used to reduce nitrogen oxide (NOx) emissions in diesel engines, as mandated by the federal government on all new diesel engines. A 1.1 million gallon stainless steel storage tank will be constructed at the plant to store the DEF. The project will also consist of a CO2 liquefaction and purification facility, which will provide a backup supply of CO2 to the urea plant and allow for up to 100 tons per day of liquid CO2 sales by truck.
Current project status
Greer and his team are working on detailed engineering plans, developing equipment specifications to order the necessary equipment, and designing buildings to house all of the equipment on the plant site. Initial project construction will begin this summer, meaning engineering and construction work will be happening concurrently. “We’re moving on multiple fronts to make this all come together. It’s a really tight timeframe,” Greer says. “We have a lot of work to do to complete the project by 2017, but our team is motivated and focused on the goals.” Construction this summer and fall will include installation of temporary power for a “trailer village” of about 20 trailers located adjacent to the construction site that will house the Dakota Gas
engineering team and construction support personnel, along with construction management and general contractor offices. Work will also include construction of several new roads and a parking lot to accommodate workers for this project and future projects. “All of that is intended to allow us to get the work completed this year in the December timeframe, so next spring 2015 we can commence with actual plant construction – the storage building, rail and truck load-out facility, urea melt building, urea granulation building, CO2 compressor and package boiler – until startup in early 2017,” Greer says. According to Greer, the project: • adds two more marketable products to bring in additional revenue; • benefits communities surrounding the Synfuels Plant by bringing in additional temporary and full-time employees; and • provides local agricultural producers another fertilizer option. Benefitting the rural agricultural community “is part of the mission of our organization,” Greer says. “I really like people and really like working as part of a team and creating something that’s bigger than anyone can create on their own,” Greer says. “It’s neat to point to something and say you were part of creating something that has a legacy, that’s larger than you. That’s exciting to me.”
Greer: Lessons learned Greer shared a few lessons he has learned throughout his career in project management. • Teamwork really does accomplish your objectives. • It’s important to respect everyone and learn from everybody. • It’s important to have a plan. Be adaptable and flexible, but always move forward with a plan.
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A garden of opportunities
Basin’s Backyard Garden demonstrates the cooperative way By Lindsey Dekrey
Earlier this year, during a Basin Electric staff writer’s meeting, the seed was planted. The writers had been brainstorming ideas for stories to write about in the upcoming year when Tracie Bettenhausen, staff writer/editor, had an idea. “Since we’ve had a lot of new people start working at Basin Electric over the last year or so, we were trying to think of ways to remind our employees of what it means to be a cooperative. I’ve always enjoyed gardening and this idea popped into my head. I thought we could plant a garden on Basin’s lawn,” Bettenhausen says. “We have so much space on our lawn that could be used to grow a garden, so why not?” The idea of a garden began to take root. Bettenhausen asked Karen Will, Basin Electric multimedia specialist II and avid gardener, to help lead the project. “We used to joke around that we should build a driving range because of all the property, but I’ve been here almost 30 years and there has never been talk of a garden before,” Will says. “I love to garden so I was excited to help make one possible.” The first meeting was held April 10 to gauge what kind of interest there would be. More than 25 employees volunteered to help care for the garden. First, the garden volunteers voted on a name for the garden. Basin’s Backyard Garden was the winning name. They also voted on the top 20 vegetables to grow in the garden. The crops range from cucumbers and tomatoes to kale and herbs. From there, another meeting was held May 22 to map out the garden. Volunteers used their expertise to place plants 6
Basin Today
together that were compatible and figure out where they would receive appropriate sunlight and water. It was also determined during the meeting that Basin’s Backyard Garden needed some walkways. So, a few days later, garden volunteers got together after work to measure and cut the landscape fabric, stake down the fabric and spread mulch over the top. Finally on June 3, garden volunteers broke ground to plant the 26 foot by 70 foot plot, taking them only about an hour to plant the garden. “As the saying goes, ‘many hands make for light work,’ and we really saw that when everyone was working together to plant,” Will says. Basin Electric’s facilities section also played an instrumental role in making Basin’s Backyard Garden possible. They chose the garden location, built a fence, made arrangements to prepare the soil, and provided tools for planting. Darrell Schulz, general mechanic II, explains that choosing the best location for the garden was important. “In the area we picked we can completely control how much water goes on the garden and we thought it would provide easy access for people to come visit or work in the garden,” Schulz says. “Darrell and the rest of the facilities group worked hard to make sure this garden would be something great from the get-go so we can have it for many years going forward,” Bettenhausen says. Garden volunteers will help maintain Basin’s Backyard Garden by checking on it once a week to see if there are weeds or anything that may have gone awry. In addition to a growing crop, Basin’s Backyard Garden
has already provided several different opportunities. The garden is enabling co-workers to grow in their relationships. “If a person’s day-to-day work never puts them in contact with people throughout the building, this garden will. It gives them a chance to work side-by-side with somebody and get to know them better,” Bettenhausen says. It offers a chance to give back to the community. “The plan is that volunteers can take some fresh produce from the garden, but the bulk of it will go to the Hunger Free ND program,” Bettenhausen says. The garden will also be a way to help employees understand cooperative philosophy and the cooperative business model. “No matter what the volunteers’ level of experience is with gardening, this is a learning experience for everyone since it’s a community garden and Basin’s first garden,” Will says. “We’re looking forward to what Basin’s Backyard Garden will
Bill Baer (right), network security analyst III, and his daughter, McKenna Baer, team up to plant peppers.
bring throughout the rest of the season.” Stop by and visit the garden, located near Basin Electric’s east entrance, or watch it grow on Basin’s Backyard Garden blog, http://basingarden.wordpress.com/.
Why I’m a garden volunteer Sheila Renner, administrative assistant II, has a small garden at home and hopes to learn from the other garden volunteers. “I was interested in meeting co-workers that like to garden and I hope to learn some tips from them throughout the summer. Maybe they do something that I have never seen before. I know we have an herb section in Basin’s garden. I’ve never grown herbs, but I’m looking forward to seeing how they turn out. Then maybe I will plant some at home myself,” Renner says. Lacy Brousseau, accounting analyst II, began working at Basin Electric nine months ago and thought volunteering would allow her to meet other co-workers. “I was so excited to see this opportunity come up because I thought it would be a great way to get to know people. Sometimes you do your job and get in a routine where you see the same people all the time, but you don’t necessarily get to know them. This was a nice way to branch out and meet people who work on different floors and in different areas at Basin.” Andrew Brown, power supply engineer I, was interested in the opportunity to give back. “When I first started working at Basin it was apparent that they were really involved with the community. When I found out the produce would be given to charity I knew I wanted to be a part of the committee,” Brown says. He offered to order seeds
for Basin’s Backyard Garden from the North Dakota State University (NDSU) Extension service, through the Home Garden Variety Trials. Volunteers will organize a generic progress report on these plants throughout the summer. “My wife and I garden and this is one of the things we like to do for our garden, since I am a NDSU graduate. I thought everyone working together to provide feedback on these plants would fit in with the cooperative’s ideas and would also be beneficial to the garden,” Brown says. Bill Baer, network security analyst III, has been gardening for about 30 years. “I remember growing up as a kid and gardening with my grandpa at his house every Saturday. It’s still something my family does each year,” Baer says. He explains his family’s garden is 40 feet by 100 feet. “Yeah, it’s a pretty good size. Some people even laugh when I tell them the size of it,” he says. When Baer found out about Basin’s Backyard Garden he knew his daughter, McKenna Baer, would want to help. He saw it as a way to spend quality time with his daughter while also doing something for the community. “It’s something we both love to do and she was interested in the fact that the produce will go to people who otherwise might not have it. There’s nothing like the taste of fresh vegetables straight from the garden,” Baer says.
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By Andrea Blowers
Employees reveal what cooperative means to them 8
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The cooperative difference. Employees and members of cooperatives use this phrase frequently when describing what sets them apart from other types of businesses. But, what does it mean? Quite simply, it’s member empowerment. There are all kinds of cooperatives that provide all kinds of different products and services for their members. They are not-for-profit, which means the daily mission is NOT to make money. It is, instead, to improve quality of life for members through the products or services they provide. For electric cooperatives, that’s safe, reliable electricity. The report published in 2013 by the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association (NRECA) called The Electric Cooperative Purpose, describes it best. It states, “The electric cooperative business ‘bottom line’ is the empowerment of its member-owners. The empowerment bottom line is analogous to the profit bottom line demanded by owners of for-profit companies.” It continues by explaining how cooperatives empower members by engaging with them and the community. “The community facilitation role of the cooperative has been shown over the years to make good things happen to improve quality of life.” As a generation and transmission (G&T) cooperative, Basin Electric doesn’t directly serve its member-owners, it serves other G&Ts and distribution cooperatives that serve the end consumers. But, even without the direct connection, the mission of member empowerment and engagement are certainly not lost within Basin Electric’s walls. In fact, the ideals and principles that set Basin Electric and other cooperatives apart steep daily in meetings, conversations and decisions. Understanding the cooperative difference, a number of Basin Electric employees accepted the mission of defining in their own words what working for a cooperative means to them.
Marci Schorsch, Basin Electric benefits compliance analyst To me, working for a cooperative is about a unified group of people dedicated to do the right things in the right ways for the right reasons. When we all come together with a unified vision it means that what each of us can do individually to serve our mission really does matter. Affordable, reliable, uninterrupted power really matters to those folks working from sun up to sun down in the fields or running a high-tech business out on the prairie. It’s a rugged, self-reliant world out there and the cooperative business model honors its member-owners by giving them a voice in what is done, how it is done and ultimately sharing in how well it was done. All of these cooperative principles resonate with my core beliefs about how to achieve success in any endeavor.
Dave Herriott, Laramie River Station operations superintendent It has been extremely satisfying and rewarding for me working for our cooperative, and being a part of the challenges, successes and lessons learned from the things that did not go well. I am grateful for every minute of it. I see the new employees coming on board have the same desires that I had when I first started. I see the cooperative model staying strong with these individuals taking on the challenges going forward. Rick Mitzel, Antelope Valley Station operations superintendent I am employed by the consumers who purchase the product we produce at Antelope Valley Station. Since a co-op does not have shareholders looking for a profit at the expense of the revenue generating plants, Basin Electric can reinvest what would be a profit back into their assets keeping their reliability up and bus bar costs down. A win-win situation.
Joe Leingang, director of fuel & transportation To me, working for a cooperative means being able to take the long-view with respect to relationships, business agreements, commitments, etc. and NOT having to focus on maximizing next quarter’s earnings. It also means that I work with people (mostly those higher up in the organization) who understand that and who won’t second guess me as I ply my trade with an eye on the long-view. They understand that trust, mutual benefit, and good relationships, not short-term earnings, are the keys to the kingdom.
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Steve Tomac, senior legislative representative Those of us who are lucky enough to thoroughly enjoy our work because it fits our philosophical beliefs have it made. What greater cause could one devote his life to? Unlike investor-owned utilities that are created solely for profit, electric cooperatives are social organizations created to provide a service – affordable and reliable electricity. Our strength is our members and our work involves keeping the social fabric that binds our members together strong while generating for them the greatest labor saving device ever created. Representing the cooperative family in front of congressmen, governors, and legislators is easy when you represent such a worthwhile cause that serves such a great membership.
Albert Weisbeck, Leland Olds Station plant manager (retired June 13, 2014) Working for a power cooperative is about providing low-cost electricity to the members of the cooperative. It’s a special mindset where everyone works together with a common goal where all members benefit. For me there is a special satisfaction knowing that all of the members of the co-op are benefiting from the work we do.
Jason Doerr, manager of trading & analytics Work i ng for a cooperative provides me the ability to work with many members and individuals in achieving goals set by the board. This requires the ability to communicate, build relationships and reach consensus with many individuals and members. The relationships built by working together with the membership and the industry become long-lasting.
Ken Rutter, vice president of marketing & asset management Everything we do is for our members’ benefit. This can be existing services or new services, but it all should be a reflection of our members’ needs. We have 2-plus million customers at the end of the line. We are serving them. So when we look at new projects, initiatives, services, or actions in the community, we always have to ask, “What would our owner at the end of the line think about this and is it in their best interest?” I have learned many things about the cooperative culture. Decisions are made collectively in a consensus fashion, which allows capturing the best thoughts of the aggregate. This is good. No one person has all the right answers. Together we can make really informed well thought out decisions. I have also learned that there truly is a “family” type network within the cooperative. People are always looking out for new ways to help. They take pride in the organization and being a member and worker for a co-op.
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Journey to joining SPP: Part 3
Southwest Power Pool approves Integrated System; IS parties set to decide
By Andrea Blowers
become a transmission-owning member of SPP. Western It’s decision time. After years of work and analysis, and Heartland are expected to make their decisions by Southwest Power Pool (SPP) and the Integrated System (IS) mid-July as well. parties are at a defining point – to accept the terms of memberAssuming all parties approve SPP membership, the ship and integrate the IS with SPP or remain independent. Federal Energy Regulatory Commission will receive a SPP has already approved the changes to accommodate briefing on the membership terms at the end of July. the IS parties, which includes Basin Electric, Western “Integrating with an RTO presents many complexities, Area Power Administration and Heartland Consumers but Basin Electric and our entire Power District. At a meeting on member cooperative family are June 9, Carl Monroe, SPP chief committed to working with operating officer, stated the Southwest Power Pool our IS participants and SPP,” tariff changes SPP approved Founded in 1941, SPP is a group of 76 Sukut said. will enable all of the IS entities members in Arkansas, Kansas, LouisiAccording to Dave Raatz, to join a regional transmission ana, Mississippi, Missouri, Nebraska, New Basin Electric vice president of organization (RTO). Mexico, Oklahoma and Texas. Members Cooperative Planning, if Basin “We are pleased with the include investor-owned utilities, municipal Electric’s board approves transSPP announcement and feel systems, generation and transmission mission-owning membership in that SPP is a solid philosophical cooperatives, state authorities, wholeSPP, integration activities will match for our cooperative,” said sale generators, power marketers and intensify. “There’s a lot of work Paul Sukut, Basin Electric CEO independent transmission companies. that will need to be completed and general manager. SPP’s footprint includes 48,930 miles of before we will be able to offiThe IS parties have been transmission lines and 370,000 square cially join SPP,” Raatz said. discussing RTO membership miles of service territory. All actions necessary to be for more than 10 years and more intensely evaluating their options since 2011. From a generation and transmission perspective, the critical benefit of joining an RTO is market access – increasing opportunity to buy and sell power. Detailed research and analysis helped the IS parties determine that SPP was the best option to maximize those opportunities. The other side of the membership decision now lies with the IS parties. At its July meeting, Basin Electric’s board of directors will hear the final economic analysis of joining SPP and is expected to make its decision whether or not to
fully integrated into SPP as a transmission-owning member are presently anticipated to be complete on or before Oct. 1, 2015. “Joining an RTO is a major shift from the way we have traditionally done business, but we believe this new environment will better help us reliably serve our members and optimize our existing facilities,” Sukut said. Read more in the series Journey to joining SPP: http:// bit.ly/SPPJourney1 and http://bit.ly/SPPJourney2.
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‘Why Basin?’ and ‘Stay Basin’ series feature new, veteran employees By Dain Sullivan
If the co-op blogosphere is bellowing anything these days, it’s that Basin Electric is the place to work. Two of Basin Electric’s recently started blog series feature new and veteran employees who simply love what they do. The faces of “Why Basin?” and “Stay Basin” have become a beacon of pride at the cooperative. Upon finding a comfortable seat, and with a video camera rolling, each featured employee opens up about the part they play in serving members. “Why Basin?” spotlights new hires wanting to tell the story of how they found a great job at Basin Electric, while “Stay Basin” participants explain why they’ve enjoyed building a long-term career with the cooperative. Each interviewee has a different story to tell, but the moral of each story is almost always the same: the cooperative is home.
journey to the cooperative came in the form of a lifelong dream. “Since I’ve been little, I’ve always known Basin Electric,” she says, adding how cool she knew it would be to work at the Headquarters in Bismarck, ND. For many veterans at Basin Electric, the first day on the job is as clear as if it were yesterday. After working at Basin Electric for nearly 30 years, Karen Will, multimedia specialist II, remembers how she entered the cooperative as a student intern, cataloguing photographs. She had no idea a video career would blossom before her eyes. “I was on-the-job trained,” she says, describing the invaluable hands-on experience she was given to master her craft. “I have to say, it was a fast 30 years.”
The journey to Basin Electric
Will isn’t the only one who appreciates the learning that takes place at Basin Electric. Professionals like Ted Cash, manager of media and support services, have come to truly appreciate the opportunity to perfect a craft through practice and real-life experience. “One of the things about Basin is how much effort they’ll put forth into building an employee as an asset,” he says. “It’s guidance and mentorship like that that makes Basin different. It’s not all about me me me me me as an institution; it’s about you as an asset and you as a person.”
Whether they’re just strolling out of new employee orientation, or making their 15th stop at Basin Electric’s annual family night, everyone has a story that highlights their road to the cooperative. Folko Mueller’s road started in Germany. So, what brought him to Basin Electric in 2013? Mueller, short-term trader II, answers with a smile. “Opportunity,” he says, specifically referring to the cooperative’s new trading wing. For Carol Ellwein, senior IST training coordinator, however, a 12
Basin Today
A place to grow your skills
Jeanne Masseth is all about learning in the workplace, especially since her passion is to expand that learning to those she’s surrounded by. Starting at the cooperative in 2013, she was eager to bring professional growth opportunities to the people of Basin Electric. “When this position came about, it just seemed like a good fit for me,” says Masseth, learning and development supervisor. “Basin has a solid reputation for long-term, dedicated, engaged employees. That was really appealing to me.”
Joining a supportive family culture
“Our benefits are by far some of the best that I have seen, and we should be proud of that,” says Ellen Holt, vice president of Human Resources. Katie Sussen strongly agrees. “The benefits here at Basin are fantastic,” she says. “I pay a quarter of what I paid previously for health care for my family. That’s substantial.” Competitive pay and vacation time are other aspects of Basin Electric’s benefits plan that many interviewees appreciate. It’s amenities like these that let all employees know that they are truly appreciated for the expertise they bring to the table.
A common theme in the “Why Basin?” and “Stay Basin” blog series is employees’ appreciation of Basin Electric’s thriving culture. Your talents belong here It’s an atmosphere of general friendliness for many. What many employees find incredibly impressive about With her new job at Basin Electric, and the birth of a newborn Basin Electric is its ability to find people who are considered baby, Kayla Konschak turned to her cooperative family when her to be the best at what they do. Whether sitting behind a desk father passed away. People she didn’t know befriended her and or working in a bucket truck in the field, folks at Basin Electric made her feel welcome at Basin Electric are simply good at many crafts. Headquarters. For Jason Barnhardt, draftsperson I, “The people that stop by your desk visualizing facility upgrades is a walk One of the things about Basin is how and see how you’re doing, it’s just really in the park. For him and those like much effort they’ll put forth into buildnice,” says Konschak, accounting him, incredible creations start with a ing an employee as an asset. It’s guidance analyst I. “You feel part of a family.” pencil and paper. and mentorship like that that makes Basin different. It’s not all about me me me me me Right of Way Supervisor Mike “It’s nice to actually go out and be as an institution; it’s about you as an asset Murray has worked at Basin Electric able to visualize what you’ve been and you as a person. since the early ‘90s, and he also refers working on,” he says. Ted Cash to his co-workers as close family. Of course, visualizing success “This becomes your second family often starts the first day on the job. away from home,” he says. “My favorite Angela Dockter started at the part of the job is my co-workers.” cooperative as an intern, and part of her career took her elsewhere afterwards. However, she The co-op brings work variety held on to the possibility of returning to Basin Electric and Of course, everyone’s favorite part of their work differs. Senior eventually reached her goal. Legislative Representative Dale Niezwaag, who has worked at the People who apply for a job at the cooperative have to work cooperative for 28 years, enjoys being on the go. hard, and Dockter likes the fact that the cooperative looks for “I could be on the road to Iowa, on a plane to D.C., or I could be employees who are willing to do just that. going down to the capitol for a meeting with the Public Service “They do a really good job of looking for the experience Commission,” he says. “Every day is different.” that they think is necessary,” says Dockter, a buyer at the Tiffany Zablotney also appreciates the variety that comes cooperative. “I had to earn my way, get the experience that with her work. Whether the commodity risk analyst is working on is necessary.” contracts with counterparties or dealing with new pricing software, That’s the thing about Basin Electric: it takes great pride in the success of its employees – and its members. It always she enjoys the different tasks she’s part of. “There’s no specific ‘day in the life of,’” she says. “I feel like I has, and it always will. Read more employee stories through the “Why Basin?” and stepped right in. It didn’t take long.” “Stay Basin” series on Basin Electric’s Live Wire blog, http:// basinelectric.wordpress.com/category/employees; and Employees enjoy great benefits In today’s world, benefits mean a lot to employees at any watch their videos on YouTube at http://bit.ly/WhyBasin organization. Basin Electric’s benefits package is something nearly and http://bit.ly/StayBasin. every person featured on “Why Basin?” or “Stay Basin” appreciates. July - August 2014
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Member Focus
Creating an “aha” moment West Central Electric employees tour Basin Electric By Tracie Bettenhausen Tour participants take a look at the view from the observation deck at Antelope Valley Station.
This was no once-in-a-lifetime deal, not for Greg and Lea Glaze. Nearly two decades ago, when the Glaze’s first toured Basin Electric facilities as member-owners of West Central Electric Cooperative, they were newlyweds. Greg Glaze was not yet an employee of the Basin Electric Class C cooperative, but they remember vividly one thing – the model room at the Great Plains Synfuels Plant. “It seemed so top secret back then,” Lea Glaze says. “It was almost like it was in a bunker. It made it seem like you were seeing something nobody else gets to see.” Today, Greg Glaze is a purchasing agent with the cooperative, and Lea works as a nurse. In late May, they toured Basin Electric facilities along with other West Central Electric employees and spouses. The model room is an entirely new experience – decked out in decorative panels explaining various parts of the plant and statistics related to it. At Basin Electric Headquarters, the group has an opportunity to see where Marketing & Asset Management staff work. Another look at how work is done at their power supplier. “You don’t think of electricity like that, being traded like a commodity,” Greg Glaze says. “That’s right,” says Lea Glaze. “You get up, you turn on your curling iron, and that’s that. You don’t think about how there are people out there making sure electricity is where you are. They are watching where the electricity is going, how much it costs, and trying to make sure they’re getting it for the best value. You just don’t think about that.” Lea Glaze also had a surprise on tour. In her work as a 14
Basin Today
nurse, she has used the Main Street Messenger program with patients who live at home. It works a lot like that product with the catchphrase, “I’ve fallen and I can’t get up.” In Basin Electric’s Security and Response Services (SRS) dispatch area, Basin Electric employees answer Main Street Messenger phone calls. “You don’t think of something like that being part of your electric cooperative,” Lea Glaze says. “More than likely, I have talked with some of the people in this room, because they call me when they get a call from one of my patients.” Jill Rankin, West Central Electric accountant, can’t believe two things – how big the Great Plains Synfuels Plant is, and how small that dispatch area is for everything that is done there. All this is just what Joe Connot is going for, the creation of “aha” moments. Connot is member services manager for West Central Electric, and has spent many years traveling with member-consumers on trips to North Dakota. “We’d never had an employee trip before,” he says. “Everyone talks about Basin this and Basin that. We have some employees who have been here for 30 years and have never been to Basin.” Connot says employees understand Basin Electric is their power supplier and that electricity rates fall in part on what the Basin Electric board decides. He says during a discussion with Steve Reed, West Central Electric CEO, they decided the best way for employees to understand it all better would be for them to see it for themselves. Connot says co-op employees are the ones most likely to get questions from member-consumers. “In our area, the big topic is the Lower Brule to Witten transmission line,”
Basin Electric’s Security & Response Services takes calls from members all the time. This was the first time some of these people have ever met face to face.
Kit Talich, West Central Electric staff engineer, says to be able to see the process of electricity generation “makes it real.”
he says. “People ask, ‘Who is doing that?’ ‘It’s Basin doing that.’ ‘Well, what is Basin doing that for?’ or ‘Who is Basin?’” Those questions get answered, and some of the mystery of the process is lifted. Kit Talich, West Central Electric staff engineer, says before the tour, he knew electricity must be consumed as it’s generated. “But to see where they get the coal or the wind and turn it into electricity, that makes it real,” he says. “There is not some magical power plant on the plains of North Dakota. Real people go to work and their job is to generate that power, and make sure it’s reliable. Everybody should see this.” Jared Dowling, West Central Electric metering technician, says seeing all the steps opened his eyes. “There is a lot that goes into generating the electricity here and sending it to South Dakota. I was amazed at all the efficiencies, not just in the plant, but in all areas,” he says. “I’m a farm kid. Learning about the reclamation at the coal mine was interesting. Plus, the different fertilizers they’re producing at the Synfuels Plant. “To walk into the control room at Antelope Valley Station and learn that the whole wall used to be covered by controls, and now it’s run by just a few computers, that’s neat,” Dowling says. “These plants are keeping up with technology. I like to see how electronics have played a part in the utility world.” Dowling was also able to put a face to a name in the SRS dispatch area. He has spoken with Gene Giesen, Basin Electric physical security and compliance supervisor, on the phone several times over many years. On the tour, they were finally able to shake hands. To Joe Connot, that is where you find the value here. The trip is mandatory. “When we sit down and talk about
Basin dispatch, they’re going to understand it better now,” he says. “If I can put a face to the name I see or the voice I hear, it’s just human nature that it puts me more at ease, and it’s going to improve our working relationship.” The West Central Electric employees who couldn’t make the spring tour will travel to Basin Electric in the fall.
You can tour, too! Boilers, turbines, trading f loors, plant models. We’ve got it all. We invite you to come check it out. You’ll discover there’s more to electricity than simply flipping a switch. Tours are free and open to the public, but appointments are required. Erin Huntimer, Basin Electric project coordinations representative, is leading the tour program. You may remember her name from these pages because until recently she authored stories as a staff writer/editor. Huntimer says everyone is welcome – co-op members and employees, students, neighbors, community leaders and more – and everyone can gain something. “We all thrive on affordable, reliable electricity, and I think learning about the big energy picture helps us all make smart choices everywhere, from our households and businesses to the public policy arena.” Explore the possibilities and request a tour at http:// bit.ly/BasinElectricTours, or contact Huntimer at ehuntimer@bepc.com or 701-557-5625.
July - August 2014
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Feature Series
A day in the life of …
Kermit Pearson
Peggy and Kermit Pearson enjoy coffee in their kitchen.
By Tracie Bettenhausen When Kermit Pearson was asked to join the Lake Region Electric Association board in 1981, it was something he didn’t expect. He had no experience in the electric cooperative world, and had no family history there either. He was 35 years old, and says even at that time most of the directors on electric cooperative boards were nearing retirement age. He was filling the seat of Art Jones, a pioneer in electric cooperative history. Jones helped to organize Lake Region Electric, East River Electric Power Cooperative, and finally Basin Electric. He was the first president of Basin Electric’s board of directors. “There was some legacy there to follow,” Pearson says. He felt young, but the more he got involved, the more Pearson realized serving rural electric cooperatives was what he was meant to do. In addition to the Lake Region Electric board, Pearson has served on the East River Electric board since 1989, and has served 16
Basin Today
on the Basin Electric board since 1997, representing District 1. Currently he serves as the Basin Electric board’s vice president. Since that unexpected phone call, Pearson has never been involved with another board. His energy is directed into the rural electrics. “Electric cooperatives are so well run and well organized, and there are quality people in these organizations throughout,” he says. “Being around good people is fun, and it’s fun when you’re all fighting for the same cause – to improve the quality of life for rural people.” While Pearson’s family had no leadership experience in the local electric cooperative before him, they had been part of the movement from the start. In the early 1900s, Pearson’s grandfather Carl homesteaded on the land Kermit Pearson farms and ranches today. The homestead overlooks some of the many lakes in the region and now is home to only a windmill. Kermit Pearson remembers visiting Carl and his grandmother, Tillie, playing in the garden that is now shaded by fully grown trees.
Kermit and his wife, Peggy, live in the home in which Kermit Pearson grew up. Today the home is much larger and vastly more modern than the house his father and mother, Kenneth and Doris, moved into in 1947. The original house was built in 1919. Kermit Pearson farms and ranches in partnership with his brother, Neal. The Pearson Gelbvieh Cattle Company sits a dozen miles east of Britton, SD, in the northeastern corner of the state. Off the road leading to Fort Sisseton State Park, the farmstead has a nice thick buffer of trees, some that have been planted over the past 67 years by a Pearson, and at least one that was a good 25 years old before the Pearson’s ever set foot on the place. There are lakes in almost every direction, and many are The Pearson Gelbvieh Cattle Company sits a dozen miles east of named for the distance they are from the fort – Four Mile Lake, Britton, SD, in the northeastern corner of the state. Nine Mile Lake, and so on. In addition to the purebred Gelbvieh herd, Pearson grows soybeans, wheat, oats and alfalfa. “You can’t get behind,” he says. “There is always something to He hasn’t always lived this life, though. After college at South read, research, respond to. It’s important work, because if Basin Dakota State University, Pearson taught vocational agriculture Electric catches a cough, the distribution co-op gets pneumonia.” for three years in Redfield, SD, and then managed the South Pearson says on the local level, aging plants are starting to Dakota State Fair in Huron, SD, for four years. be the big issue. At the generation and transmission level, load Kermit and Peggy Pearson were starting their lives together growth and regulation are at the top of his mind. about that time, and decided life in Huron would not be a longHis philosophy goes back to what the incorporators of Basin term thing. The desire to farm and Electric saw as most important. He ranch pulled Pearson back toward his understands the politics of today, with There is always something to home. “Neal and dad were working the Environmental Protection Agency read, research, respond to. It’s together at that time. If we were to demanding reduced carbon dioxide important work, because if Basin grow and expand, it took another hand and states demanding greater use of Electric catches a cough, the distribuand that was me,” he says. “I had an renewables. “I still believe you have to tion co-op gets pneumonia. interest in the purebred aspect of the provide power at the lowest possible Kermit Pearson cattle operation. I guess you can’t take cost,” he says. the farm out of a boy.” He says Basin Electric has always While Kermit Pearson farms and faced challenges. “Sometimes during ranches, Peggy Pearson is the adminthe board meetings, we talk about istrator of Sun Dial Manor, an assisted living and respite care everything we’ve faced over the years. When Nixon became nursing home in the nearby community of Bristol, SD. president, he was going to eliminate REA (Rural Electrification The couple raised all four children, Tina, Jared, Amanda and Administration). The topics always change, but every few years Jim, at the Pearson farmstead. This home serves as the central there is something for the co-ops to rally behind.” location for the children to bring grandchildren back for visits. Pearson says as long as Basin Electric is dynamic and growThinking back, Kermit Pearson says his state government ing, challenges will continue. experience with the South Dakota State Fair, and his previous From the days when Art Jones was the first president of the teaching experience, is what made the nominating committee Basin Electric board, to his Lake Region Electric successor’s work at Lake Region Electric think of him for a board seat. today, Pearson says, “Basin Electric has always survived, and He has served on the distribution cooperative’s board for 33 not only have we survived, but we have grown and prospered years. And, when he began serving on Basin Electric’s board, as a result of the way we tackled those issues. We have a good he began a commitment that asks something of him every day. cause to fight for.” July - August 2014
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News Briefs
Parallel paths will determine Laramie River’s future
Medora Musical Burning Hills Singers perform at Headquarters in recognition of May being Military Appreciation Month.
Burning Hills Singers help Basin Electric celebrate Military Appreciation Month
Live music highlighted Basin Electric’s celebration of the country’s military men and women May 20 at Basin Electric Headquarters. The celebration, part of Military Appreciation Month, also included the opportunity for employees to wear jeans. Donations and freewill donation lunch proceeds went toward Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors (TAPS), a resource for anyone who has suffered the loss of a loved one in the military. Music was provided on Basin Electric’s lawn by the Burning Hills Singers, who perform every night of the summer as part of the Medora Musical, which is celebrating its 50th anniversary in Medora, ND. Watch some highlights from the Burning Hills Singers’ performance: http://bit.ly/HDQBurningHillsSingers. Read more about Basin Electric’s long history of supporting employees serving in the military: http://bit.ly/ BEPCMilitary. 18
Basin Today
Government regulation has created a hazy future for the Laramie River Station in Wheatland, WY. That hasn’t stopped Basin Electric and the other partners in the Missouri Basin Power Project (MBPP) from working to clear it up. With the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) decision in January to reject part of Wyoming’s regional haze plan, the proposal to install non-selective catalytic reduction technology on Laramie River’s three units was no longer an option. Over the last few months, Basin Electric and the other owners of the plant, Tri-State Generation & Transmission Association, Western Minnesota Municipal Power Agency, Lincoln Electric System, Heartland Consumers Power District and Wyoming Municipal Power Agency, have ventured down three parallel paths – compliance, legal appeals and alternatives – to determine how Laramie River will meet the regulatory standards. In its federal plan, EPA set a limit for nitrogen oxides (NOx) emissions of 0.07 lb/MMBtu on a 30-day rolling average. This strict emissions limit can only be achieved using selective catalytic reduction (SCR) technology in addition to the over-fire air and low-NOx burners installed on all three units at the plant. Capital costs of installing SCRs within the timeframe EPA defined are estimated to be more than $750 million for all three units. Though Basin Electric’s legal team is immersed in appeals to the courts and EPA, the timeframe to reach full compliance by March 2019 with SCRs is so tight Gavin McCollam, Basin Electric director of engineering services, said engineering staff had to begin work now to determine the scope of installing SCRs. “We have to proceed with at least Phase 1 engineering, which is the conceptual engineering studies on various aspects of the SCR project, so that by the beginning of next year, we would be ready to go to the board with a scope and budget for the project,” McCollam said. Jim Lund, Basin Electric senior project manager, has been named project lead. Lund said there are four phases to the engineering and construction of SCRs at Laramie River. “In the first phase, engineering will create general arrangement drawings; do a power supply study, a draft study, which basically
studies the fan capacity; a reagent study to determine if we would use anhydrous ammonia, aqueous ammonia or urea; and, among other initial engineering work, an underground utility study to determine where we can place foundations.” Phase 2 is detailed engineering and procurement. Phase 3 is construction, and the last phase is startup and commissioning. The legal proceedings running parallel to the front end engineering and design (FEED) studies are a motion to stay filed June 6, 2014, through the 10th Circuit Court of Appeals and a petition for reconsideration and motion to stay filed May 5, 2014, with EPA Region 8. The briefing schedule for the motion to stay with the 10th Circuit runs into early 2015, which is when Basin Electric’s board of directors will learn the results of the FEED study and determine if the project will move to Phase 2.
New rates approved at May board meeting
Basin Electric directors approved two new purchase rates relating to renewable and solar generation during the May board meeting at Headquarters in Bismarck, ND. Dave Raatz, vice president of Cooperative Planning, said in the past Basin Electric had a small renewable rate in which the cooperative would purchase the output of small consumer-owned renewable projects less than 150 kilowatts (kW) to use that power, in conjunction with our other generation resources, to meet member load obligations. That rate didn’t allow Class A or Class C members to own the generation, or purchase the output directly from a producer. Raatz said the new renewable rate and solar passthrough rate will allow members to have ownership of small renewable generators under 150 kW while maintaining the integrity of the Basin Electric all-requirement agreement with the membership. “Last summer, the membership started asking for this. There seems to be a lot of consumer interest in having small renewable generation sources located in their areas right now,” he said. “So the Basin Electric directors thought it appropriate to set up this type of a rate.” The rates are effective as of Jan. 1, 2014, as long as they get Rural Utilities Service approval. Basin Electric will incorporate this generation into the larger generation portfolio to provide reliable power to the membership.
Tony Clark (left) receives a tour of the model room at the Great Plains Synfuels Plant from Dale Johnson, plant manager.
FERC commissioner visits Basin Electric facilities
Federal Energy Regulatory Commissioner (FERC) Tony Clark and staff visited Dakota Gasification Company’s Great Plains Synfuels Plant and The Coteau Properties Company’s Freedom Mine May 21 as part of a week-long visit to North Dakota. Clark, who is serving his first term with FERC, formerly served as chairman of the North Dakota Public Service Commission. He said he has told his staff in Washington, D.C., about the energy diversity in North Dakota, but this was their first chance to visit. “I don’t know of any place else in the nation, maybe the world, where you could, within a two-and-a-half hour drive, see large hydroelectric facilities, large wind farms, lignite mines, Dakota Gasification Company, power plants, waste heat recovery units on pipelines, natural gas pipelines, an oil field like nothing else going on in the world right now,” he said. “It is unbelievable, the amount of development that’s taking place right now within a 120-mile radius.” Because FERC oversees interstate electric transmission facilities, wholesale electric markets, interstate natural gas pipelines and natural gas markets, he visited with Mike Risan, Basin Electric senior vice president of Transmission, and Mike Eggl, Basin Electric senior vice president of Communications & Administration, to learn more about the cooperative’s journey to join a regional transmission organization. “A lot of the business Basin Electric will be doing will involve a lot of FERC work, so it’s good to be able to get out here and talk firsthand with some of the folks who are going through the entire process that will end up at FERC,” he said. See more from Clark’s visit: http://bit.ly/FERCVisit. July - August 2014
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News Briefs
and Ohio University Scripps-Howard School of Journalism, recognized the key role employees play when communicating to cooperative members. “The judges noted that electric cooperatives are being challenged to communicate to the people they serve in more ways than ever before,” said Carol Crabtree, administrator of the awards program. “Printed newsletters, news releases, websites, social media, videos and information in bills are all more important than ever to keep members updated.” There were more than 680 entries for the 26th annual Spotlight awards competition.
AVS-to-Neset line published in Federal Register
(Clockwise from top left) Andrea Blowers, Steve Crane, Nicole Perreault and Julie Ness were recipients of 2014 Spotlight on Excellence awards.
Basin Electric employees earn Spotlight on Excellence awards
Basin Electric employees were recognized May 12 for award-winning communications efforts. The Spotlight on Excellence awards, sponsored by the Council of Rural Electric Communicators and the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association, were presented during the CONNECT®’14 conference in San Antonio, TX. The CONNECT conference brings together more than 550 electric cooperative professionals for two-and-a-half days of educational sessions, information on energy innovations and technologies and networking opportunities. The 2012 Basin Electric Annual Report won the Gold Award for best annual report. Andrea Blowers, senior staff writer/ editor, served as editor of the project, Julie Ness, multimedia specialist III, designed the report, and Steve Crane, multimedia specialist II, served as chief photographer. Judges also awarded Multimedia Specialist II Nicole Perreault with a Silver Award for her internal “Energize” blog. This year’s panel of judges, made up of faculty from the University of Missouri-Columbia, University of South Carolina 20
Basin Today
On May 30, the Rural Utilities Service (RUS) published the final environmental impact statement (FEIS) for the AVS-to-Neset project in the Federal Register to meet its responsibilities under the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA). Curt Pearson, manager of media and community relations, said the project’s inclusion in the Federal Register sparked a 30-day RUS comment period. In December 2011, Basin Electric announced plans to build the 345-kilovolt (kV) transmission line from its Antelope Valley Station (AVS) north of Beulah, ND, to Tioga, ND. Construction is planned to start in 2014 and be completed in segments, with expectations of the entire project being in service by 2017. In addition to RUS, Basin Electric also needs a record of decision from the U.S. Forest Service and Western Area Power Administration before construction on the project can start. The Forest Service, through a separate notice process, initiated a 45-day pre-decisional objection period on June 10 regarding whether to issue the project a special use permit for the segment of the AVS to Neset project that crosses Forest Service lands. Considering the current stage of the project’s approval process, Amanda Wangler, project manager II, said construction could start in late summer. The North Dakota Public Service Commission (PSC) approved a siting permit for the original 190-mile AVS to Neset transmission line in April. Pearson added that the North Killdeer Loop, an additional 60 miles of 345-kV line and three additional substations, was included as part of the federal NEPA process, but has yet to be approved at the state level. Basin Electric plans to file a siting application with the PSC for the transmission line segment this fall.
Antelope Valley Station wraps up spring outage
Employees of Antelope Valley Station near Beulah, ND, wrapped up a planned maintenance outage May 28. Chad Edwards, plant manager, said the plant achieved full load May 29. About 500 additional workers were on site for the outage. The outage, which began March 29, helped complete projects that will allow the plant’s Unit 1 to remain in compliance with upcoming environmental regulations. Those projects include separated over-fire air (SOFA) and natural gas ignition projects to help the plant’s Unit 1 stay in compliance with the upcoming mercury and air toxics standards rule, which goes into effect in April 2015, and to meet regional haze requirements. Jesse Folk, mechanical engineer, coordinated the SOFA project, and Tyler Schilke, mechanical engineer, coordinated pipeline construction as part of the natural gas ignition project.
Find us on the web basinelectric.com basinmembers.com dakotagas.com
Both SOFA and natural gas igniters will be installed in Unit 2 during the next scheduled major maintenance outage in spring 2016. Other routine maintenance during the Unit 1 outage included: • inspection and repair of motors, pumps and valves throughout the unit; • inspection and repair of the rotating elements of the turbine; and • inspection and repair of the emissions control systems, including the scrubber and baghouse. Major maintenance outages are scheduled every three years for all of Basin Electric’s coal-based electric generating units to meet permit requirements and do routine maintenance to maintain reliability. Through year-end 2013, Basin Electric and subsidiaries had invested $1.46 billion in environmental control technology. Approximately $160 million was invested in the operation and maintenance of those controls in 2013.
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Employee Highlights
2014-2015 Basin Electric scholarship winners
Twenty-five $1,000 scholarships were awarded to children of Basin Electric and subsidiary employees to further their education this fall. Recipients were chosen for their participation in school and community activities, academic excellence, work experience and career goals.
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KateLynn Albers is the daughter of Kurt (DGC) and Deneise Albers. She will be a senior at Minot (ND) State University, majoring in accounting.
Lance Duppong is the son of Art (AVS) and Audrey Duppong. He will be a junior majoring in power plant technology at Bismarck (ND) State College.
Linsi Boe is the daughter of Kenneth (DGC) and Sharon Boe. She will be a sophomore at North Dakota State University in Fargo, majoring in business management.
Logan Eisenbeis is the son of Wayne (AVS) and Margo Eisenbeis. He will be a sophomore majoring in welding at North Dakota State College of Science in Wahpeton.
Connor Candrian is the son of Dennis (DGC) and Kim Candrian. He will be a freshman at Bismarck (ND) State College, majoring in pre-engineering.
Kala Frank is the daughter of John (HDQ) and Lori Frank. She will be a sophomore majoring in occupational therapy at University of Mary in Bismarck, ND.
Kayden Candrian is the daughter of Dennis (DGC) and Kim Candrian. She will be a senior majoring in nursing at University of Mary in Bismarck, ND.
Rachel Funkhouser is the daughter of A.T. (DGC) and Janet Funkhouser. She will be a freshman at Concordia College in Moorhead, MN, majoring in business.
Cally Collins is the daughter of Larry (LRS) and Chris Collins. She will be a freshman at University of Wyoming in Laramie, majoring in dentistry.
Sarah Grimm is the daughter of Ted (AVS) and Donnette Grimm. She will be a senior majoring in radiologic technology at University of Mary in Bismarck, ND.
Dakota Degenstein is the son of Mark and Kassandra Degenstein. He will be a freshman majoring in pre-medicine/biology at University of North Dakota in Grand Forks.
Tamara Heidelberger is the daughter of Gary (DGC) and Vancy Heidelberger. She will be a senior at Minot (ND) State University, majoring in elementary education.
Kathryn DeWitt is the daughter of Tammy (HDQ) and Jason DeWitt. She will be a sophomore at Bismarck (ND) State College, majoring in engineering.
Meghan Huber is the daughter of Tim (HDQ) and Brenda Huber. She will be a sophomore majoring in exercise science at University of Mary in Bismarck, ND.
Basin Today
Katelyn Johnson is the daughter of Tim (LOS) and Becky Johnson. She will be a sophomore at University of North Dakota in Grand Forks, majoring in biology.
Cameron Sadowsky is the son of Tony (AVS) and Kristie Sadowsky. He will be a junior at Bismarck (ND) State College, majoring in process plant technology.
Courtney Kemmet is the daughter of Ralph (DGC) and Dena Kemmet. She will be a freshman majoring in elementary education at North Dakota State University in Fargo.
Mary Silverthorn is the daughter of Roger (TSM) and Sue Silverthorn. She will be a sophomore at University of North Dakota in Grand Forks, majoring in political science.
Nathan Kurtti is the son of Arlen (DGC) and Sheryl Kurtti. He will be a junior at North Dakota State University in Fargo, majoring in English education.
Wesley Sturdivant is the son of Walter (LRS) and Melodie Sturdivant. He will be a freshman at Northern Wyoming Community College in Gillette, majoring in computer technology.
Ashley Leintz is the daughter of Jill (HDQ) and Jay Leintz. She will be a junior majoring in international business at Minnesota State University Moorhead.
Hailey Tollefson is the daughter of Shane (DGC) and Jen Tollefson. She will be a sophomore majoring in occupational therapy at University of North Dakota in Grand Forks.
Neil Lelm is the son of Lynn (LOS) and Stacy Lelm. He will be a freshman at North Dakota State University in Fargo, majoring in zoology.
Courtney Ost is the daughter of Mark (LOS) and Doreen Ost. She will be a junior majoring in radiologic technology at University of Mary in Bismarck, ND.
Allison Pillar is the daughter of Dan (DGC) and Kris Pillar. She will be a senior at North Dakota State University in Fargo, majoring in marketing/web design.
A cooperative commitment to education
Basin Electric takes great pride in its ability to help develop rural leadership through its scholarship program. The program is designed to recognize and encourage the achievements of the children of cooperative and subsidiary employees, and children of member-cooperative employees and consumers. Awards are granted without regard to race, color, creed, religion, sexual orientation, gender, disability or national origin. Since the scholarship program began, more than 2,000 young people in the Basin Electric system have benefited from this program.
July - August 2014
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Employee Highlights
Kyle Kusser, a Transmission System Maintenance journeyman lineman, has embraced a hobby of capturing images and footage from a camera attached to his hard hat.
Tall tales: Hard hat snapshots capture lineman’s story Kyle Kusser has always had a tough time keeping his feet on the ground. “When I was in high school, I knew that the career path for me was either going to lead me off the ground or under water,” he says. Once a Highmore, SD, teen known for his athleticism and interest in perspective art, Kusser is now a Transmission System Maintenance journeyman lineman who wants others to see the world through his eyes. Recognizable for his sleeveless t-shirt outside work hours, sunglasses and five o’clock shadow, Kusser is known by many around Gettysburg, SD, as the guy who takes selfies on top of electrical poles. “I truly have a passion for power and transmission line work,” he says. “Ever since we started climbing at Mitchell (SD) Technical Institute, I knew I was home.” In his early years on the job, Kusser realized he wanted to share the still shots and footage he gathers with family and friends on the ground. It’s a biography of photography seven years in the making. “I like to be able to share things that I see from a perspective that few get the opportunity to see from,” he says. “It all started with me bringing it home to my family and friends.” Kusser has always viewed his interest in photography and videography as a mere side project, something that added an extra level of fun to the daily grind. “I started taking still shots with this cheap, old camera that I had,” he says. 24
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The cheap camera was soon replaced by a $200 miniature camcorder, which he attaches to his hard hat as he works. It’s precious cargo that’s worth a priceless backdrop. When he can’t get the shot he wants on his own, Kusser likes to include others he works with. If his hands are tied up above, colleagues on the ground aim a lens to the sky as he works, capturing bits of his work life from different angles. The camcorder is also a useful work tool for Kusser, serving as a record system of sorts for when he needs to rewind to see how an assembly goes together, or if a procedure was done correctly. When it comes to gathering images, Kusser keeps things simple. He doesn’t blog or enter into video contests. He’s also quick to admit computers are not his game. “I’ll never say that I’m good with computers,” he chuckles. “However, clipping videos together and attaching music and other effects to them is something that I am learning and enjoying in my free time.” It’s a hobby Kusser has kept mostly to himself and those closest to him. If there ever is editing he would like done, he turns to his sister, who works as a graphic designer. At the end of the day, he looks forward to going home to share snapshots of his experiences with his wife and son, and one day, their unborn little one. “I have a lot of passion for this industry,” he says. “Until you can see from under the hard hat, it’s a different perspective.
New Employees
Alex Barfield began working May 19 at the Great Plains Synfuels Plant as a process operations field technician. The Hazen, ND, native has an associate degree in process plant technology from Bismarck (ND) State College. Brian Beecher started his position as a maintenance field technician April 21 at the Synfuels Plant. The Hazen, ND, native previously worked for NextEra Energy Resources.
Jordan Beutler began working April 21 at the Synfuels Plant as a maintenance field technician. Originally from Washburn, ND, he previously worked for Boilermakers 647 Local Union. Shyler Block began working May 19 at the Synfuels Plant as a process operations field technician. Originally from Harvey, ND, he previously worked for HSG Concrete. Block has an associate degree from Bismarck (ND) State College in process plant technology. Ryan Brouwer started his position as a maintenance field technician May 5 at the Synfuels Plant. The Beulah, ND, native previously worked for The Coteau Properties Company Freedom Mine. Dale Christensen began work April 14 at the Synfuels Plant as a civil engineer. Originally from Napoleon, ND, he previously worked for KLJ. He has a bachelor’s degree in civil engineering from the University of Idaho in Moscow. Nathan Eberle started his position as a process operations field technician May 19 at the Synfuels Plant. Originally from Hague, ND, he has an associate degree in process plant technology from Bismarck (ND) State College. He previously worked at the North Central Farmers Elevator.
Jeff Collings began working May 5 at the Synfuels Plant as a maintenance field technician. The Williston, ND, native previously worked at Dakota Fluid Power. Collings has an associate degree in fluid power technology from Alexandria (MN) Technical College. Jason Castellanos began working as a laborer May 5 at Laramie River Station. Originally from Phoenix, AZ, Castellanos previously worked for Fry’s Food & Drug Store and for the U.S. Navy. He is currently volunteering for the Army National Guard. Brad Teter, laborer, began work at Laramie River Station May 5. The Wheatland, WY, native previously worked for Wyoming Department of Transportation as a trooper in Wheatland. He is retired from the Army. Damion Cowley started his position as maintenance field technician May 19 at the Synfuels Plant. Originally from Dickinson, ND, he previously worked for FlexTM. Cowley has an associate degree in welding from North Dakota State College of Science in Wahpeton. Nathon Delzer began work March 31 at the Synfuels Plant as a process operations field technician. Originally from Mandan, ND, he previously worked at Vistec Industrial Services and CEDA, both in Mandan. Dennis Dwelle began working April 21 at the Synfuels Plant as a process operations field technician. Originally from Mandan, ND, he previously worked at Red Trail Energy.
Ken Morgan, help desk coordinator II, began work May 5 at Dakota Gas. Originally from Sunnyvale, CA, Morgan previously worked for TEKsystems as a team lead in Carrington, ND. He has a degree in hotel administration from University of Nevada, Las Vegas. July - August 2014
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Employee Highlights
New Employees
Deb Erhardt began working April 9 at the Synfuels Pant as a registered nurse. Originally from Langdon, ND, she previously worked for North Dakota Workforce Safety and Insurance. Erhardt has a bachelor’s degree in nursing from the University of Mary in Bismarck, ND. Jeremy Porter began work as a laborer May 5 at Laramie River Station. The Wheatland, WY, native previously worked for Cathedral Energy Services as a site supervisor in North Dakota.
Kyle Lewis, laborer, began work May 5 at Laramie River Station. The Laramie, WY, native previously worked for University of Wyoming in Laramie as a plant operator.
Greg Ragsdale began his position as a laborer at Laramie River Station May 5. Originally from Casper, WY, Ragsdale previously worked for the U.S. Navy as a chief petty officer in Norfolk, VA. Brady Feiring began working May 19 at the Synfuels Plant as a control systems engineer. Originally from Stanley, ND, he has a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering from the University of North Dakota, Grand Forks. Dale Frederick began his position May 19 as a maintenance field technician at the Synfuels Plant. Originally from Richardton, ND, he previously worked for MBI Energy Services.
Michael Grimm began work May 19 at the Synfuels Plant as an electrical and instrumentation maintenance field technician. Originally from Hazen, ND, he has an associate degree in electronics/telecommunications from Bismarck (ND) State College. 26
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Mike Hack began working April 21 at the Synfuels Plant as a maintenance field technician. Originally from Mandan, ND, he previously worked for Gagnon.
Jamie Hanson began working May 12 at the Synfuels Plant as a maintenance field technician. Originally from Washburn, ND, Hanson previously worked for the North Dakota Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation and Bobcat. Dan Kanwischer started his position as a process operations field technician May 12 at the Synfuels Plant. Originally from Bismarck, ND, he previously worked for Mac Inc. Kanwischer has an associate degree in process plant technology from Bismarck State College. Austin Int Veldt began working May 19 at the Synfuels Plant as a process operations field technician. Originally from Strasburg, ND, he previously worked for Coca-Cola. Int Veldt has an associate degree in process plant technology from Bismarck (ND) State College. Heidi Daniels, real time trader II, began her position at Headquarters April 29. Originally from Jacksonville, FL, Daniels previously worked for MidAmerican Energy in Des Moines, IA, and for The Energy Authority, in Jacksonville, FL. Marc Kriegel started his position April 21 as a maintenance field technician at the Synfuels Plant. Originally from Beulah, ND, he previously worked for Garrett Brothers Construction.
Jared Marker, storekeeper, began his position at Laramie River Station April 21. Originally from Wheatland, WY, Marker previously worked for Laramie Peak Motors.
Martin Wray began work as an energy systems administrator II at Headquarters May 5. Originally from Bismarck, ND, Wray previously worked for Minnkota Power Cooperative as an information systems security coordinator at Milton R. Young Station in Center, ND.
Scott Roth began work May 19 at the Synfuels Plant as an electrical and instrumentation maintenance field technician. Originally from Strasburg, ND, he previously worked for The Coteau Properties Company. Roth has an associate degree in electrical technology from Bismarck (ND) State College.
Tom Leingang began his position as a business analyst May 19 at Headquarters. Originally from Mandan, ND, Leingang previously worked for ND Army National Guard as a planning and programming manager in Bismarck.
Ty Rossman began his position as a hardware maintenance assistant at Headquarters May 19. Originally from Turtle Lake, ND, Rossman was previously a student intern in information services and telecommunications at Basin Electric.
Joey Schrepel, power supply engineer I, began his position at Headquarters May 19. Originally from Madison, SD, Schrepel previously worked for Daktronics in Brookings, SD, doing hardware design.
Todd Lundquist began working May 19 at the Synfuels Plant as a maintenance field technician. Originally from Dodge, ND, he previously worked for Borsheim Crane Service.
Stephen Farnsworth began work as an electrical engineer I at Headquarters May 19. Originally from Bismarck, ND, Farnsworth previously worked for Ulteig Engineers as a graduate engineer in Fargo, ND.
Luke Dorschner began work as a mobile equipment mechanic May 19 at Antelope Valley Station. The Mandan, ND, native previously worked for The Coteau Properties Company and Butler Machinery.
Kyle Jerke began work May 19 at the Synfuels Plant as a process operations field technician. Originally from Avon, SD, he previously worked for Menards. Jerke has an associate degree in Energy and Gas from Lake Area (SD) Technical Institute.
Carson Kunz began work May 19 at the Synfuels Plant as a maintenance field technician. Originally from Mandan, ND, he previously worked for Mastel’s TJ Surge. Kunz has an associate degree in welding from Bismarck (ND) State College.
Austyn Kittelson began work May 19 at the Synfuels Plant as a process operations field technician. Originally from Velva, ND, he has an associate degree in process plant technology from Bismarck (ND) State College.
Garrett Schilling, power supply engineer I, began his position May 19 at Headquarters. The Gillette, WY, native previously worked for Basin Electric as an assistant engineer intern at Dry Fork Station.
Alex Kopp began working May 19 at the Synfuels Plant as a process operations field technician. Originally from Bismarck, ND, he has an associate degree in process plant technology from Bismarck State College.
Lorne Silbernagel began work April 21 at the Synfuels Plant as a maintenance field technician. Originally from Bismarck, ND, he previously worked for Country Auto Clinic.
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Employee Highlights
New Employees
Gregory Lehto began work as a laborer April 21 at Laramie River Station. The Wheatland, WY, native previously worked for Stallion Oil Field Services as a service manager in Wheatland. He served in the U.S. Marine Corps from 1988-2010.
Jeff Wilmot began his position as a quarry superintendent March 31 at Montana Limestone Company. Originally from Billings, MT, Wilmot previously worked for Hardrives Construction as vice president of operations in Billings. Jeremy Lang began work May 5 at the Synfuels Plant as a maintenance field technician. Originally from Stanton, ND, he previously worked for Bobcat.
Collin Kittelson began working at the Synfuels Plant as a process operations field technician May 19. The Velva, ND, native had been working at the Synfuels Plant as a co-op student employee. Kittelson has an associate degree in process plant technology from Bismarck (ND) State College.
Jereme Huss started his position as a maintenance field technician May 12 at the Synfuels Plant. Originally from Bismarck, ND, he previously worked for Dakota Growers Pasta Company in Carrington, ND. Huss has a mechanical maintenance certificate from Bismarck State College.
Joe Lancaster began work May 12 at the Synfuels Plant as a compliance program supervisor. Originally from North Carolina, he previously worked for Electrolux North America. Lancaster has a bachelor’s degree in chemical engineering from North Carolina State University in Raleigh. Todd Larson began working April 21 at the Synfuels Plant as a process operations field technician. Originally from Eden Valley, MN, he previously worked for BakkenLink Pipeline. Larson has an associate degree in power plant technology from Bismarck (ND) State College.
Ryan Okerson began work May 12 at the Synfuels Plant as an electrical and instrumentation maintenance field technician. Originally from Bismarck, ND, he previously worked for Preferred Heating & Air. Okerson has an associate degree in refrigeration and air conditioning from Bismarck State College. 28
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Zachary Morris began work May 19 at the Synfuels Plant as a process operations field technician. Originally from Beulah, ND, he previously worked at Tharaldson Ethanol. Morris is pursuing an associate degree in process plant technology from Bismarck (ND) State College. William Macdonald started his position as a process operations field technician April 21 at the Synfuels Plant. Originally from Moffit, ND, he previously worked for US Foods.
Heath Griffis began his position as a laborer at Laramie River Station April 21. Originally from Oklahoma, Griffis previously worked for Wyoming Department of Transportation in Chugwater, WY. Travis Witt began work as a storekeeper at Laramie River Station April 21. The Wheatland, WY, native previously worked for Bloedorn Lumber in Wheatland.
Derek Schwab began work May 19 at the Synfuels Plant as a process operations field technician. Originally from Beulah, ND, he previously worked for Valley Grain Milling. Schwab is pursuing an associate degree in power plant technology from Bismarck (ND) State College.
Kurt Neuberger began work April 21 at the Synfuels Plant as a maintenance field technician. Originally from Beulah, ND, he previously worked for Patterson-UTI Drilling.
Ronnette (Apple) O’Quinn began work April 28 at the Synfuels Plant as an administrative assistant in medical services. Originally from Baker, LA, she previously worked for Challenger Industries. David Reisenauer began his position as a wind technician May 12 at PrairieWinds ND. The Minot, ND, native previously worked for Hess in Tioga, ND. He has also worked for PacifiCorp Xcel Energy. Reisenauer has an associate degree in power plant technology from Bismarck (ND) State College.
Devin Rogers began work May 19 at the Synfuels Plant as a maintenance field technician. Originally from Mandan, ND, he previously worked for Red Trail Energy. Rogers has an associate degree in mechanical maintenance technology from Bismarck (ND) State College. Jeremy Thomas began work April 7 at the Synfuels Plant as a process operations field technician. Originally from Lignite, ND, he previously worked for Souris Valley Ready Mix.
Jeffrey Drescher, laborer, began work May 19 at Laramie River Station. Originally from Tekonsha, MI, Drescher previously worked for Wells Equipment Sales in Litchfield, MI. He also worked at Vandy Bogurt Farms. Jonathan Tischmak began his position as an enterprise systems administrator I April 19 at Headquarters. He is originally from Mandan, ND.
Tanner Rix began work May 19 at the Synfuels Plant as a process operations field technician. Originally from Hazen, ND, he previously worked for Cargill Corn Milling. Rix has an associate degree in process plant technology from Bismarck (ND) State College. Melissa Kramer began her position as a business systems technician at Headquarters June 2. The Fargo, ND, native was previously a procurement intern at Basin Electric. She has a bachelor’s degree in computer information systems and mathematics and an associate degree in business administration from the University of Mary in Bismarck. Kelly Quintus began work as a business process analyst II at Headquarters June 2. Originally from Coon Rapids, MN, Quintus previously worked for Agency MABU in Bismarck, ND. She has a bachelor’s degree in communication from University of Mary and an associate degree in multimedia technology from Rasmussen College, both in Bismarck.
Eli Severson began work May 19 at the Synfuels Plant as a process operations field technician. Originally from Mandan, ND, he previously worked for Missouri Valley Petroleum. Severson has an associate degree in process plant technology from Bismarck (ND) State College. Dan Whitley began work Jan. 14 at the Synfuels Plant as an environmental engineer. Originally from Elk Mills, MN, he has a bachelor’s degree in chemical engineering from the University of Arizona in Tucson. Mike Quintus, enterprise applications architect I, began his position May 27 at Headquarters. The Bismarck, ND, native previously worked for Workforce Safety & Insurance and the North Dakota Information Technology Department July - August 2014
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Employee Highlights
New Employees
Mitchel Vetter began work May 19 at the Synfuels Plant as a process operations field technician. Originally from Harvey, ND, he has an associate degree in power plant technology from Bismarck (ND) State College.
Evan Weiss began work as a laborer June 2 at Leland Olds Station. The Hazelton, ND, native previously worked for Bismarck (ND) State College. He has an associate degree in process plant technology.
Theron Weisenburger began work April 21 at the Synfuels Plant as a maintenance field technician. Originally from Mandan, ND, he previously worked for Boilermakers 647 Local Union.
Michael Trueblood began work May 5 at the Synfuels Plant as a maintenance field technician. Originally from Washburn, ND, he previously worked for Center Machine. Trueblood has a precision machining technology certification from North Dakota State College of Science in Wahpeton.
Jason Wray began work May 5 at the Synfuels Plant as a maintenance field technician. Originally from Kalispell, MT, he was previously self-employed.
Jordan Zander began work April 21 at the Synfuels Plant as a maintenance field technician. Originally from Mandan, ND, he previously worked for K G Contracting. Zander has an associate degree in mechanical maintenance technology from Bismarck (ND) State College. Mariah Michaelis began her position as a laborer June 2 at Leland Olds Station. Originally from Monticello, MN, Michaelis previously worked for HH Gun Shop in Bismarck, ND. She has an associate degree in power plant technology from Bismarck State College. Jacob Kleinjan, laborer, began his position at Leland Olds Station June 2. Originally from Kindred, ND, Kleinjan previously worked for Dean’s Bulk Service in Bismarck, ND. He has an associate degree in power plant technology. Chris Bauer started as a senior structural engineer May 27 at Headquarters. The Bismarck, ND, native previously worked for Advanced Engineering and Environmental Services and Ulteig Engineers, both in Bismarck. He has a master’s degree and a bachelor’s degree from South Dakota School of Mines and Technology in Rapid City. 30
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John Mittleider began his position as an electrical engineer I June 2 at Headquarters The Herreid, SD, native previously worked for HDR in Bismarck, ND, and for Keitu Engineers & Consultants and Midcontinent Communications. He has a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering from University of North Dakota, Grand Forks, and an associate degree in pre-engineering from Bismarck State College. Miles Traiser, real time trader I, began work May 27 at Headquarters. Originally from Jamestown, ND, Traiser previously worked for KLJ as a financial analyst in Bismarck, ND. He has a master’s degree in business administration with an entrepreneurial studies concentration from Endicott College in Beverly, MA. Nicholas Sundahl, electrical engineer I, began his position June 2 at Headquarters. The Mohall, ND, native previously worked for Nodak Electric Cooperative in Grand Forks, ND. He has a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering and a mathematics minor from University of North Dakota, Grand Forks. James Wuitschick began work May 5 at the Synfuels Plant as a maintenance field technician. Originally from Beulah, ND, he previously worked at Vistec.
Service Awards
Samuel Keller
Joseph Bowman
Mark Good
Scott Wiseman
Gary Koehler
Ronald Tangen
contract administrator
maintenance planner/ scheduler supervisor
water treatment operator
civil engineering supervisor
field technician
field technician
40 years
Headquarters
35 years
35 years
35 years
30 years
30 years
Dakota Gasification Company
Dakota Gasification Company
Laramie River Station
Laramie River Station
Headquarters
Kevin Bruce
Daniel Cannon
Timothy Miller
Lance Richter
Audrey Aipperspach
Mark Grunhovd
field technician
shift supervisor – utilities
field technician
instrument I
engineering assistant
mechanic I
30 years
Dakota Gasification Company
30 years
30 years
30 years
30 years
30 years
Dakota Gasification Company
Antelope Valley Station
Antelope Valley Station
Antelope Valley Station
Dakota Gasification Company
Bern Tolosky
Lila Richau
Raymond Laverdure
Dave Sauer
Todd Bitterman
Ernest Boehler
procurement operations administrator
accounting analyst I
electrician lead
chief operating officer
field technician
field technician
30 years
30 years
30 years
25 years
25 years
25 years
Dakota Gasification Company
Leland Olds Station
Dakota Gasification Company
Dakota Gasification Company
Dakota Gasification Company
Russell Haugstad
Mark Rieger
William Wilhelm
Keith Yeager
Jeffrey Przybylski
Jack Eggleston
field technician
field technician
field technician
field technician
senior enterprise systems administrator
plant operator
Dakota Gasification Company
25 years
Dakota Gasification Company
25 years
Dakota Gasification Company
25 years
Dakota Gasification Company
25 years
Dakota Gasification Company
25 years
25 years
Laramie River Station
Headquarters
Torey Hanks
Gary Lockman
Kelly Laird
Kathleen Jones
Grace Baker
Pius Fischer
plant operator
operations superintendent
electrician I
government/community relations assistant
media distribution coordinator
manager of electrical engineering
25 years
Laramie River Station
25 years
Laramie River Station
25 years
Laramie River Station
25 years
Missouri Basin Power Project
25 years
Headquarters
20 years
Headquarters
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Employee Highlights
Service Awards
Michael Murray
Bryce Harring
property and right of way supervisor
mechanical engineer III
20 years
20 years
Leland Olds Station
Headquarters
Glori Van Heukelom 35 years
senior enterprise systems administrator Headquarters
James Lund 20 years
senior project manager Headquarters
Retirees Editor’s note: Expanded retirement stories were written only for those who returned their questionnaire to Basin Today staff.
Linda Adams, accounting analyst, retired Dec. 31 after 33 years of service. Adams began working as an OS/6 operator in 1980. She held a number of different positions throughout her career including secretary, accountant and accounting analyst II. She previously worked for the federal government, Bureau of Indian Affairs, before coming to work for Basin Electric. Patrick Meidinger, manager of accounts payable, says Adams was a hardworking, reliable and efficient accounts payable processor. “She often times led the team in a number of vendor invoices processed per month. Although she did venture into other areas of accounting during her career, she ultimately settled back in accounts payable and we were happy to have her back. Now, we wish her well in her retirement,” Meidinger says. Adams has two children and two grandchildren. She looks forward to spending more time with her family, parents and friends during her retirement, as well as having more time for hobbies and other fun activities. She says she enjoyed the many life-long friendships she made during her career at Basin Electric, and thoroughly enjoyed Meidinger’s supervising style.
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Retirees
Larry Walker retired June 2 from the Great Plains Synfuels Plant after almost 31 years of service. Walker began working at the plant in 1983. He started his career working in the pump shop, moved to the machine shop in 1990, and was promoted to a shift maintenance supervisor where he worked for a few years before moving to a day position. Over the last several years, Walker worked as a maintenance supervisor in the wastewater/evaporator area, and conducted maintenance training for new mechanics. “The people at the Synfuels Plant are some of the best people I have ever worked with, and the maintenance people have always done the best they could do for Dakota Gas,” Walker says. “I have a lot of home projects to get completed, but will first focus on building an outside shop before winter so I can work on a couple of old VW cars as well as complete some woodworking in my wood shop.” Jill Thomas retired from the Synfuels Plant June 5 after nearly 30 years of service. She began working at the plant in 1984 as a field technician in vehicle maintenance. She worked in the maintenance department until becoming the warehouse supervisor, the position she held until retirement. “I would like to thank Dakota Gas and Basin Electric for their support while I was in the North Dakota Guard, especially during my year deployment at Kosovo,” Thomas says. In retirement, Thomas is looking forward to doing some woodworking and cross stitching. Brent Wallender retired from the Synfuels Plant April 17 after 24 years of service. Wallender began working at the plant in 1990. During his time at the plant he worked in the safety department as a senior safety coordinator. Wallender says the increased use of computers is staggering. “When I first started in the Safety department, we had file draws full of paper work. Now it is all logged onto a computer. “I have great memories of all the people I’ve worked with over the years, as well as memories of the very busy and exciting times of the black plant outages,” Wallender says. He and his wife plan to live on Lake Sakakawea full-time. They will travel to see their daughters in Alaska, Washington and North Dakota.
Retirees
Clayton Danks retired from the Synfuels Plant May 9 after 24 years of service. Danks began working at the plant in 1990. During his time at the plant, he worked as a maintenance field technician. Mike Eslinger retired June 5 after 26 years of service at the Synfuels Plant. He began working at the plant in 1988 in the Protection Services department, where he retired. Eslinger and wife, Linda, have 11 grandchildren to keep them busy.
Albert Weisbeck, operations supervisor, retired from Leland Olds Station June 13. Weisbeck began working as a utilityman in 1976. His title was changed to boiler attendant, equipment attendant, turbine electric operator, control room operator, shift supervisor and operations supervisor. Weisbeck recalls being snowed in at Leland Olds Station for 54 hours one weekend during the Spring of 1997. “During this time we ran out of food and all we had was popcorn. Several people tried to make it in during the storm, but were unsuccessful. Sunday afternoon one of the operators, who was to start his night shift, came to work with a snowmobile. We sent him to Stanton (ND) to get some food, and when he finally got back, we had a good meal,” Weisbeck says. Jamey Backus, Leland Olds Station plant manager, says Weisbeck was always honest, loyal and helpful. “Albert would often put the needs of the station and its employees ahead of himself. He would always arrive early and rarely go home at quitting time. No matter if it was the newest employee at the station or the most seasoned veteran, he always had time to talk with them and bring a smile to their face. I will miss his stories about the ‘old days’ and his sense of humor,” Backus says. Steve Guenthner, Leland Olds Station shift supervisor, says Weisbeck was a dedicated and knowledgeable employee. “Beyond his attributes as an employee, his personality made for a better work environment. He was fun to work with,” Guenthner says. In retirement Weisbeck plans to fish, do woodworking, volunteer and enjoy time off day by day.
Doug Sorensen retired from the Synfuels Plant June 5 after nearly 31 years of service. He began working as a maintenance field technician in the maintenance department in 1983, working in that position until his retirement.
We will remember…
Scott Woolsey
Scott Woolsey, Laramie River Station senior civil engineer, died March 29 at the University of Colorado Hospital Anschutz Pavilion in Denver, CO. He was 51 years old. He was born Jan. 26, 1963, the son of Charles “Chick” Woolsey and Virginia Boyd, and raised and lived his entire life in Wheatland, WY. He graduated from Wheatland High School in 1981 and received his degree in civil engineering from the University of Wyoming in 1986. He later obtained his license as a Professional Engineer. He spent 27 years working for Basin Electric. Scott married Mary Wheeler in Wheatland Sept. 3, 1988. They had two sons, Adam Charles and Blake Richard. In 2010, Scott was diagnosed with a chronic lung disease and ultimately received a life-saving double lung transplant on March 20, 2011, at Saint Joseph’s Hospital in Phoenix, AZ. Steve Allen, Laramie River Station performance engineer III, says when Woolsey designed something, it was designed to last, often being accused of over design. But what he admires most is Woolsey’s final years. “He still took vacations to Hawaii; he still set up his game cameras scouting for that trophy elk; he worked at building up his strength to go archery hunting again; he still kept tinkering at the family farm; and he spent time with his family to try to keep improving their lives,” Allen says. “He was never really running at 100 percent again, but he seemed like he had a lot of years left to live, not just survive.” Woolsey is survived by wife, Mary; sons, Adam and Blake; mother, Virginia Anderson; sister, Cheryl Deuel; stepbrothers, Brook Phifer, Zack Phifer, Wood Phifer and Sky Phifer; nephews and niece, uncle and aunt; and numerous cousins. Funeral services were held April 3 at the Wheatland Bible Church with interment at the Wheatland Cemetery.
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