Resolutions Committee defining Basin Electric positions
It’s the document Basin Electric staff can turn to when they need to represent the cooperative’s position on an issue. The resolutions adopted by the members of Basin Electric give direction to staff. This year's Resolutions Committee met Sept. 16-17 at Basin Electric Headquarters.
Dakota Gasification Company - October 15, 2009
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The 2009 Resolutions Committee met Sept. 16-17 at Basin Electric |
Each year, the Resolutions Committee meets to review and prepare possible revisions to existing resolutions and to consider new resolutions. The proposed changes are put to a vote of the membership at the annual meeting, to be held Nov. 4-5 at the Ramkota Hotel in Bismarck, ND.
The Resolutions Committee is represented by a director from each of Basin Electric’s 10 districts and Basin Electric director Roberta Rohrer. The committee considers amendments to Continuing Resolutions, which are basic policy positions that continue over the years, and Current Resolutions, which are policies and challenges of current interest.
The committee met Sept. 16-17 at Basin Electric Headquarters, where members selected their committee chair, Arden Fuhrer of District 3 – Central Power Electric Cooperative.
The meeting began with a question and answer session by Mike Eggl, Basin Electric senior vice president of External Relations & Communications, on current legislative issues including rail and climate change bills in Congress. Dave Raatz, Basin Electric manager of marketing and power supply planning, gave an overview of Corn Belt Power and how the new district changes Basin Electric’s generation portfolio. Ron Rebenitsch, Basin Electric manager of alternative technologies, presented on wind project progress.
The committee recommended changing the resolution on a national transmission grid to encourage support for system-wide average pricing. Because broad support for a national transmission grid has been increasing, the resolution now urges development. The resolution supporting nuclear power was revised to reflect that Basin Electric’s generation portfolio now includes, through Corn Belt Power’s joint ownership in Duane Arnold Energy Center, a nuclear plant near Palo, IA. These and other proposed changes will be voted on by the membership in November.
The committee recommended splitting the resolution, “Energy Efficiency and Conservation,” into two. “End-Use Energy Efficiency and Conservation” is now directed toward the end-use consumer. “Barriers to Operating Efficiency,” the proposed new resolution, focuses on power plant efficiency, because making power plants more efficient often means initiating more regulation. The new resolution urges Congress to adopt legislation promoting efficiency improvements at existing plants.
Three resolutions dealing with air quality regulations and climate change were revised to include recent legislative activities involving carbon dioxide and regulatory activities involving Regional Haze. Additional edits and amendments were made to several other resolutions.
The committee will gather feedback from their respective cooperatives on the proposed changes before they meet again on Nov. 4 to finalize those changes. All proposed changes will then be brought to a vote of the Basin Electric membership on Nov. 5.
The Bylaws Review Committee meets every other year; this year, the committee met prior to the Special Membership Meeting held Aug. 13. The membership voted on bylaws changes at that time, most notable of which was the addition of District 11.
Headquarters
1600 E. Interstate Ave.
PO Box 5540
Bismarck, ND 58506-5540 USA
701.221.4400
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420 County Road 26
Beulah, ND 58523-9400 USA
701.873.2100
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