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Around the Circuit
TVA to Hire
Electricians to Build Nuclear Reactors
For the first time in two decades, the Tennessee Valley
Authority (TVA) is preparing to hire contract workers. TVA officials
predict it will need more than 500 contract electricians to build the
Watts Bar Unit 2 nuclear reactor, starting in 2008. By the time that
reactor is finished being built in 2013, TVA expects to need a
comparable number of workers to build each of two reactors tentatively
planned for the Bellefonte nuclear site in Alabama. "There should be a
good demand for workers for years to come," says Dwight Wilhoit,
president of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW)
Local 175 in Chattanooga, Tenn. "Everybody who wants to work right now
has
work. Especially in the South, we're looking to stay busy for some
time."
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North Carolina
Sets Requirements for Renewable Power
North Carolina Governor Mike Easley recently signed a
bill that sets a minimum requirement for the use of renewable energy by
the state's electric utilities. Under the terms of the bill,
investor-owned utilities will be required to draw on renewable energy
for 3% of their electricity supply starting in 2012, with the
requirement increasing every three years until it reaches 12.5% of the
electricity supply in 2021. Electric cooperatives and municipal
utilities must also draw on renewable energy for 3% of their
electricity
supply by 2018.The bill allows credit for the use of solar, wind,
geothermal, and biomass energy sources, along with hydropower, ocean
current energy, and wave energy. It also allows for the use of hydrogen
produced from any of these renewable resources.
Congress
Prepares
to Fund
Green Initiatives
Congress may spend as much as $6.7 billion next fiscal
year to combat global warming. House appropriations bills call for
about
$2 billion in new spending on initiatives aimed at reducing greenhouse
gas emissions and oil dependency, including $44 million to promote
geothermal energy. Some of the largest increases are in the bill that
funds the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE). The House provided about
$1.9
billion for energy-efficiency and renewable energy programs. The
Senate's appropriations committee has recommended about $1.7 billion
for
energy-efficiency and renewable energy programs. This fall, Congress is
also expected to consider legislation to cap emissions from power
plants
and other sources.
NEMA Lighting
Systems Index Remains Below 2006 Levels
Rosslyn, Va.-based National Electrical Manufacturers
Association (NEMA) recently released its Lighting Systems Index for the
second quarter of 2007. The Index is a composite measure of lamps,
luminaires, ballasts, emergency lighting, exit signs, and other
lighting
products shipped nationally and internationally from the United States
by the 430 NEMA member companies. The current Index indicates a 0.7%
increase over first-quarter 2007 performance; however, overall
shipments
are still below the levels experienced throughout most of 2006. The
slump in the single-family housing market was first evident in the
Index in the fourth quarter of 2006 and continues to weigh it down. The
slight increase in the current Index can be attributed to the health of
the commercial, industrial, and non-building construction sectors.
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Project Watch
City in
California Requests Bids for Demolition and Construction
Project
The City of Firebaugh, Calif., is soliciting bids for
modifications to a water treatment plant. Scope of work includes
demolition and removal of existing facilities as well as construction
of
new facilities, including all electrical items. Bids will be accepted
until 11 a.m. PST on Oct. 4. A mandatory pre-bid conference will be
held
at 10 a.m. PST on Sept. 24 at the Firebaugh Community Center. For more
information, contact the City Manager, 1575 Eleventh St., Firebaugh, CA
93622.
Atlanta Airport
Tunnel Project
Holder-Manhattan-Moody-Hunt (HMMH), Atlanta, is seeking
contractors for the Automated People Mover (APM) tunnels
associated with the Maynard H. Jackson Jr. International Terminal APM
extension from Concourse E. The scope of work is limited to tunneling
operations using the New Austrian Tunneling Method (NATM) and limited
utility work. For more information and to request a prequalification
package, contact Chad Douglas at (770) 988-3257. The project's RFP is
scheduled to be released in early October.
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Web Exclusives
Business Brief
Tampa, Fla.-based Building Industry Consulting Service
International (BICSI) was recently approved to provide continuing
education and training through the Registered Continuing Education
Providers Program (RCEPP), a comprehensive education management system
for the National Council of Examiners for Engineering and Surveying
(NCEES) and the American Council of Engineering Companies (ACEC). With
the RCEPP designation, BICSI will help to provide leadership in
professional licensure of engineers and land surveyors through
excellence in uniform laws, licensing standards, and professional
ethics.For more business briefs, visit EC&M's Web site.
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Eye on Safety
OSHA Cites
Lockout/Tagout Violations at Laundry Facility
Following an investigation into the March 2007 death of
a worker at the Cintas laundry facility in Tulsa, Okla., the
Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) recently issued
fines totaling $2.78 million, the largest ever levied against a company
in the service industry. Eleazar Torres-Gomez, who was clearing a jam
of
wet laundry on a conveyor that carries the laundry from the washer into
the dryer, was killed after being trapped in the operating dryer for 20
minutes while temperatures soared to 300°F.OSHA inspectors
issued 46 willful, instance-by-instance citations that allege
violations
of the lockout/tagout standard for failing to shut down and to lock out
power to the equipment before clearing jams, and for failing to train
four employees responsible for clearing jams in lockout/tagout
procedures. One repeat citation alleges the failure to protect
employees
from being struck or pinned by the conveyor. Three serious citations
allege the failure to protect employees from falls, to have a qualified
person inspect the lockout/tagout procedures, and to certify the
procedures as required. OSHA also inspected the company's facility in
Columbus,
Ohio, as well as ones in Arkansas, Alabama, and Washington.
The agency issued five repeat and two serious citations with penalties
totaling $117,500 for violations of the lockout/tagout and machine
guarding standards found at the Columbus facility. In response to the
citations, Cintas CEO Scott Farmer said in a statement that the company
has been cooperating with OSHA to review the incidents, but didn't
agree
with "certain citations and fines."
Shows and Events
NECA 2007
Convention and Trade Show
The National Electrical Contractors Association (NECA)
will hold its annual trade show and convention from Oct. 5-8 in San
Francisco. Topics for sessions at this year's event include
photovoltaics, building green, lighting design, design/build
strategies,
project labor agreements, customer service, and codes and standards.
For
more information and to register, visit the NECA Web site.
CEA Industry Forum
The Consumer Electronics Association (CEA) Industry
Forum is scheduled for Oct. 14-17 in San Diegoe. The four-day
event will include seminars on marketing and building business, as well
as the effect of fire on electronic devices. In addition, attendees are
encouraged to sign up for one-on-one sessions with CEA analysts. For
more information and to register, visit the CEA Web
site.
Electric Expo '07
The Electrical Association of Philadelphia will present
Electric Expo '07 from Oct. 16-17 at the Valley Forge ConvenBtion
Center,
King of Prussia, Pa. The event includes seminars on topics such as
LEED,
CCTV and fire protection for electrical contractors, lighting control
for commercial buildings, power quality, home automation, and arc flash
hazard reduction. For more information and to register, visit the
event's Web site.
EC&M
Code
Change Conferences
Where do you turn when you need accurate information on
changes to the National Electrical Code? Acknowledged as the leaders in
providing information on the NEC, EC&M magazine and EC&M
Seminars have been the preferred sources of this information for more
than 60 years. Seven Code change conferences have been scheduled in the
fall of 2007. Host cities include: Atlanta, Boston, Dallas, Orlando,
Philadelphia, St. Louis, and Seattle.
As an approved provider with the National Council of Examiners for
Engineering and Surveying (NCEES), through its Registered Continuing
Education Provider Program (RCEPP), our 2008 Code change conferences
will provide professional engineers Professional Development Hours
(PDHs), a requirement for re-licensing in many states. The conferences
are also approved by every state that has a continuing education
requirement for contractors and electricians.
For additional information on the dates and locations of these
events, download a pdf of the schedule from the EC&M Web site.
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