By Emily Compton
The Plumas-Sierra Rural Electric Board of Directors held its 89th annual meeting of members. This year’s meeting was hybrid; members could attend in person or virtually.
The meeting was on Thursday, September 10, at the Sierra Valley Grange Hall in Vinton and was livestreamed via YouTube.
Members cast their ballots by mail or electronically and were invited to submit questions before the meeting.
Emily Compton, a member and energy services manager at PSREC, started the meeting by thanking the volunteers and announcing the winners of the PSREC Annual Meeting Photo Contest. She then announced the winners of the PSREC and PST Citizen Scholar scholarships.
Emily was followed by PSREC Board President Fred Nelson, who introduced Pastor Danny Burress and asked him to lead a prayer. The speakers and audience stood for the Pledge of Allegiance and the national anthem, played by the Portola High School Band.
Fred introduced the board and general counsel, who were present on stage. From there, PSREC General Manager Bob Marshall continued introducing special guests to the audience.
After a brief introduction, Bob introduced Michelle Williams, the senior vice president and Sierra Nevada regional manager of Western Area Power Administration. Michelle brought to light WAPA’s power-revenue requirement changes due to new transmission projects and changes in some markets that help keep power rates low and affordable to PSREC and other utilities. She also touched on a handful of new hydropower projects within California and their positive impacts. Next, Bob introduced NCPA General Manager Tony Zimmer, who spoke about the state of the electric industry and grid reliability in California and the effects on public power utilities, including PSREC.
The next speaker up to the podium was Rhonda Perkes, the assistant manager of member relations for Utah Associated Municipal Power Systems spoke about UAMPS as an organization and how it provides a strategic partnership for PSREC. The speakers were rounded out by Jessica Nelson, general manager of Golden State Power Cooperative, who provided updates on the electric industry and specifically the regulatory landscape in the state during the meeting, as well as the importance of the national organization for electric cooperatives, National Rural Electric Cooperative Association (NRECA). Board President Fred Nelson reviewed accomplishments for the year, including the progress that has been made on Plumas-Sierra’s Fort Sage transmission project. The project is partially funded by a Defense Community Infrastructure Grant the cooperative received. PSREC anticipates the project will be completed by 2028.
Fred handed the microphone back to Bob, who expressed his gratitude to PSREC employees for their hard work keeping the lights and internet service on for members. He further discussed the importance of the Fort Sage Project and the overall state of the electric industry in California. Bob also discussed PST’s background and how it has developed over the years. He spoke about PST’s efforts in applying for and implementing state and federal grant money and how they affect our member-owners and local communities. This was a common theme throughout the evening.
Bob later answered questions members had submitted during a Q&A session. Topics covered included fiber-optic service availability, solar and storage, as well as data centers. Bob gave a short presentation on the potential rate increase that PSREC is considering implementing in early 2027. Please see Bob’s Manager’s Column on page 32 for more information.
Mike Vergara, PSREC’s legal counsel, directed the business meeting. Members reelected District 6 Director Jerry Williams and District 7 Director Nancy Miller.
PSREC appreciates all members who attended PSREC/PST in person or joined us virtually via our livestream. We know members are busy, so the cooperative staff and board thank all who participated. We hope to see you in person or virtually for next year’s annual meeting.