APPA List Servers and Electronic Discussion Groups

The Electronic Forums are a popular way for APPA members to discuss policy and operational issues on the directory of topics listed below.  These discussions are open only to employees of APPA member utilities and regional public power organizations.

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Accounting and Finance
Policies and procedures for daily accounting management, accounting for utility transactions, debt management, financial reporting to the board, reserve fund policies and other accounting and finance issues. Information on new GASB and FASB standards or interpretations, IRS regulations, and federal legislation.

Audit
Topics related to utility audit issues, including internal audits and use of external auditors.

Broadband Marketing
For the discussion of topics related to marketing communications services, such as internet, telephone, and cable television.

Community Broadband
Providing (or considering the providing of) advanced communication systems or services, including dark fiber leasing, Internet data, telephone service, and city or school communications. Also barrier to entry, marketing, advertising topics.

Customer Services
Call centers, customer billing, credit and collections, revenue security, customer service representative selection and training, other service quality issues. (M)

DEED
The DEED list serve will provide an opportunity for DEED members to discuss innovative research ideas and will offer a forum for disseminating information related to the DEED program, its research projects, and other research of interest to the membership.  All topics of interest to public power electric utilities may be discussed as it relates to innovative research and demonstration projects. (Only DEED members may participate)

Economic Development
Community economic development, business retention and expansion, new product development, and direct utility involvement in economic development efforts.

Energy Services
Energy efficiency, load management, integrated resource planning and demand-side management. (M)

Environmental Issues
Federal environmental regulatory issues. Disseminates memos and documents pertaining to environmental regulations and compliance. The weekly e-mail notice also provides helpful industry compliance tips. (M)

FERC
Dissemination of news, analyses and documents pertaining to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission. (M)

Generation & Fuels
Problems and solutions associated with power generation and the fuels used in the generation process. (M)

Human Resources and Training
Human resources and training policies and practices discussions and exchange of ideas on utility issues impacted by aging and retiring workforce, labor relations, compensation and benefits, employee development, and the importance of investing in your employees.

Information Technology
Information technology in an electric utility, including enterprise-wide strategic planning, security, equipment, systems and procedures used in data and information processing. (M)

Key Accounts
Development and maintenance of mutually beneficial long-term relationships with major commercial and industrial customers and other key accounts.

Legal
Discussion of major litigation developments, policies and procedures for managing legal offices, contracts, tort liability, litigation practice, and legal aspects of risk management, governance, human resources, debt issuance, information practices, intellectual property, and privacy. (M)

NERC-NAESB
Development of and ballot recommendations on proposed NERC and NAESB WEQ business standards, and other related activities of the North American Electric Reliability Organization (NERC) and/or the North American Energy Standards Board's Wholesale Electric Quadrant (NAESB WEQ).

Pricing & Market Analysis
Primarily for APPA's Pricing and Market Analysis Committee (professionals in costing, pricing, load research and market analysis) but other member-utility employees may join with permission of list owner.

Public Communications
For public power communicators, topics ranging from public relations to advertising and marketing to employee communications. Forum may be used to post announcements from individual utilities.

Risk Management & Insurance
To help facilitate information exchange between public power utilities and help with day to day operational issues related to risk management and insurance. To join, please contact Diane Moody at APPA directly.(M)

Safety
Provides information on safety information, policies and practices to member utilities. (M)

Security
Provides Department of Homeland Security (DHS) including NIPC, NERC and DOE security bulletins and alerts to subscribers. Facilitates security information exchange between participants. (M)

Smart Grid
Community communication needs to facilitate smart grid; automated metering infrastructure (AMI); interoperability of new and legacy utility equipment; smart grid integration of renewable, CHP and other distributed generation; data management, including MDMS; security of the smart grid; protocols and standards development; development of real-time pricing/time-of-use rates; and best practices and other issues surrounding smart grid. (M)

Supply Management
Forum for discussion of topics related to supply chain management, procurement, inventory and warehousing for publicly owned electric utilities.

Transmission and Distribution
Construction, operation and maintenance of utility transmission and distribution equipment. (M)

Underground Injection Control Sequestration
The APPA UIC Sequestration listserv is a group distribution e-mail service for information on injection of CO2 for power plants. The purpose is to monitor and become expert in the groundwater/surface water and EPA UIC rulemaking issues that are related to the use of this new geologic sequestration or storage technology. This listserv will be focused primarily on the water issues (water use, conservation, and groundwater protection) and geologic issues pertaining to EPA rulemaking(s). 

This is not a listserv focusing on carbon separation technology(s) or parasitic energy issues etc. Carbon separation, technology, cost, and infrastructure issues pertaining to geologic sequestration (for coal or natural gas plants) is handled through the APPA New Generation Group. For information on that, please contact Theresa Pugh at tpugh@appanet.org 

This APPA UIC Sequestration listserv group is open to APPA member utility employees and employees of municipal water utilities owned/operated by municipal governments. (M)