Roulet Report

April 26, 2013

UnpluggedIn the electric business there is a code or regulation for almost everything that occurs. With continuing escalation of NERC compliance, WFEC continues to expand our efforts to stay compliant. One of the more interesting projects going on now through the end of 2013 is making sure power line clearances are acceptable.

WFEC has contracted a company to measure each power line where it crosses a road. This will be done for all lines with a voltage above 100 kV, which encompasses nearly 1,500 road crossings that are at or above that voltage. Some of these lines are 50 years old and some are new, however each has a required conductor height from the ground. Measurements will be done within 1” of accuracy. If any do not meet the required clearance, the clearance will be corrected. Over time, landscape changes, and some corrections are bound to be necessary.

Contractors will be using LIDAR (Laser Imaging Detection and Ranging) technology to complete this work. Getting to all the locations likely takes more time than actual determination of the clearances. As you can imagine, this is not an inexpensive process. It is one of our newer regulatory requirements, and it does reflect the continuing complexity of the electric business.

So, if you see a truck parked in the middle of the road, looking at a power line this summer, you will have a pretty good idea what they are doing.

2013 NRECA Financial Planning Workshops – Managing Your Money

Your retirement is the single largest investment you will ever make. What kinds of choices should you be making in these times of roller coaster economics? How can you put time on your side? WFEC will sponsor financial workshops at the Anadarko Headquarters (July 9-10) and Hugo (July 11-12). The workshops will be led by members of NRECA’s Personal Investing & Retirement Consulting (PIRC) team. A full-day workshop will be presented at each location. The morning after each course will be devoted to one-on-one sessions with the PIRC counselor. You do not need to attend the workshop to attend a counseling session, but you must sign up.*

The Investment Workshop focuses on early career investment education, including retirement planning and a review of WFEC’s retirement benefits. This course is geared to employees who are at the beginning and middle stages of their work years. WFEC plans to present this beginning/intermediate level of retirement education every other year. In the years between, the financial education will be directed to employees who are within five years of retirement.

If you are new to WFEC, or if you’ve been here a while and have never taken the opportunity to attend one of the NRECA financial education sessions, this one’s for you! Talk to your supervisor to let him or her know that you’re interested. WFEC pays for the workshop, for lunch on the day of the workshop, and if you must travel from out-of-town, a per diem amount. Spouses are encouraged to attend both the workshop and the counseling sessions. Registration directions: PeopleSoft HR > Self Service > Learning and Development > Request Training Enrollment > Search by Course Number > Course Number is HR0007; click ‘Search’ > Click ‘View Available Sessions’ > Click on desired session, either 0008 (Anadarko Headquarters) or 0009 (Hugo Plant). (Missing PIN number? Call Jackie Johnson at extension 4512 to have it reset.)

How PeopleSoft Registration Works: After you follow the registration directions above, you will receive two e-mails from ‘PSoft’ (PeopleSoft HR). The subject of the first e-mail is, “Request submitted for approval” – if you do not receive this e-mail within a few minutes, your registration did not go through. Call Jackie Johnson at Ext. 4512. The subject of the second e-mail is, “Request processed by approver” – PeopleSoft needs approval from your supervisor to complete your registration. If you do not receive this second e-mail within a few days, your supervisor has not yet approved your request – supervisors sometimes miss PeopleSoft messages…just ask your supervisor to respond to the PeopleSoft message. Tell the supervisor the date that you registered – the supervisor’s message was sent to her/him on that same day. Not until you receive the second e-mail are you officially registered for the training.

*One-on-One Sign Up: Contact Marsha Baker (405) 247-4450, m_baker@wfec.com

Every year on April 22, more than one billion people join in Earth Day Festivities. Individuals, communities, organizations and governments take this day to recognize our amazing planet and take action to protect it. Here are some tips to help support our home, and save some money.

Revamp your laundry routine. Choose cold water as much as possible when doing the laundry. Warm and hot water use more energy for heating, which costs both you and the environment. Additionally, make sure you are running a full load each time to avoid wasting water and energy. According to Energy Star, washing full loads, as opposed to partial ones, can save 3,400 gallons of water annually.

Cut back on cleaners. For about $20, you can replace just about every cleaning product in your house with a safer, non-toxic, biodegradable homemade version using common ingredients like baking soda, club soda, vinegar and salt. Cutting back on cleaners can lead to huge savings, considering the average American family spends about $600 per year on home cleaning supplies, according to David Bach, author of Go Green, Live Rich. Check out Detox Your Home: Assemble a Green Cleaning Kit to find out how.

Check your temperature. Set water heaters to 120°F to achieve the most energy efficient temperature. Each degree reduction in water temperature can save you 3%-5% in energy costs, according to the U.S. Department of Energy. It’s also a good idea to check that your refrigerator and freezer are set to their most energy efficient settings.

Be patient. When baking, every time you open the oven door to look at the food, the oven temperature is lowered by 25-75°F, requiring more energy to to the set temperature.

Weather-proof your home. Before the weather gets cool again, take steps to weatherize your home. Inexpensive steps like increasing insulation in walls and ceilings, weatherstripping windows and doors and using window curtains and blinds to prevent heat loss can save you big on energy costs. For more environmental savings tips, check out the Environmental Protection Agency’s Earth Day page on their website. Source: feedthepig.org

Save on Earth Day and Every Day

Journey to Wellness - 1st Quarter Drawing

Marletta Cassmeyer, wife of Generation Compliance Specialist Clem Cassmeyer found it very hard to believe that the luck of the draw was hers – AGAIN!

During the Headquarters’ Brown Bag Luncheon on April 18, Gary Roulet was asked to draw the winner’s names from a hat. The first name pulled, for $3,000, was Marletta’s. With 342 points, Marletta has won for the third time. Her first win was in 2009; her second was in 2012.

Marletta turns in a wellness log nearly every month. She tracks the time that she works out on the elliptical machine and the time she spends biking, walking and doing toning exercises. Her wins are well-deserved. Congratulations, Marletta – AGAIN!

Only one other couple has won the grand prize three times since the Journey to Wellness program began in 2006. After that win, it was decided that complete randomness was too hard for the rest of us to accept. It was time for a rule intervention! Beginning in January of 2012, a 10217 couple may win only two times every five years. This was the second win for the Cassmeyers since the new rule was instituted. They will continue to be eligible to win the $100 drawings, but not the $3,000 prize - until 2018.

Additional Winners: $100 prizes went to Jackie Johnson, senior systems analyst , Nancy McCarty (wife of Marvin McCarty, auto mechanic at Hugo, Lendy Duncan, wife of Kooney Duncan, safety and security coordinator and John Toland, principal planning resource engineer.

If you or your spouse are interested in learning more about the Journey to Wellness program, please contact Marsha Baker at 405-247-4450 or e-mail m_baker@wfec.com. Program details and applications may be found on the WFEC Intranet http://intra, below the large “Benefits” heading in the center column of the home page, under “Journey to Wellness Program.”

For a great source of fiber, vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, and phytochemicals opt for fresh vegetables. During the winter you may have relied mostly on canned vegetables, now it is the best time for going to the nearest market and buying fresh salad, spinach, dandelion greens and nettles.

When the weather warms up, your body is ready to get outside and enjoy jogging, rollerblading or even a relaxing walk. Take advantage of the wonderful time you find in the sunny days and go in the park with your family or with a friend or two. This will definitely wake you up from your winter sleep.

Watch out for the seasonal cold. You might believe that winter is the best season to catch a cold, but you are wrong. It is very common during the spring for a lot of people to catch a cold or even the flu. So the best thing to do would be to avoid crowds and places that can expose you more intensely to viruses.

Even if most of us are happy that spring is finally here, not all of us can enjoy this season due to spring allergies. If you know that you are allergic to pollen it is best to use air filters indoors during these few weeks, buy antihistamines and special eye drops, so that spring does not take you and your allergies by surprise.

Don’t forget sunblock. You will probably be spending more and more time outdoors as the weather warms up, but make sure you use sunblock that blocks the UVA and UVB rays from affecting your skin. Protect your nose, lips and ears as they tend to burn a lot more easily. Source: healblog.net

Spring Health Tips

Ean Bonjour, a senior at Stillwater High School, won first prize and was awarded a total of $10,000 in

scholarship dollars in the Go Go Geo Video Scholarship Challenge, sponsored by the Touchstone Energy®

Cooperatives. Co-sponsors were geothermal manufacturers, ClimateMaster, Bosch and WaterFurnace.

Students competed for almost $60,000 in scholarship dollars and school grants. 50 unique entries were

created by high school juniors and seniors from across Oklahoma and southeastern 00342 New Mexico.

Bonjour’s award included $3,000 in scholarship dollars from the regional round and $7,000 from the top

finish at the state level. Stillwater High School will also receive $5,000 in educational grant money from the

competition.

Second place went to Casee Cole, a junior at Pond Creek-Hunter Junior-Senior High School, which included

a $3,000 regional scholarship in addition to $3,500 for the state finish. Austin Branch, a senior at Norman

High School North, received the third place scholarship award, consisting of a total of $5,000, including

$3,000 for the regional finish and $2,000 for the state finals.

Other finalists, listed with their school, included Kailey Kelley, Hinton High School; and Haley Madden,

Portales (New Mexico) High School. These two finalists each received $3,000 in scholarship dollars from the

regional round of the contest and an additional $1,000 from the state finals.

These awards were presented during a luncheon banquet, which culminated a two-day event, in which five

contest finalists, along with their parents, met with sponsors, judges and other representatives.

And The Winner Is....

V.P., Legal & Corporate Servcies Brian Hobbs visits with the Secretary of Energy, Michael Ming at the reception held last Sunday.

Casey Cole, 2nd prize winner, being interviewed by George Plummer with Kool 105.5. radio station.

L to R: Top 3 Prize winners: Austin Branch (3rd place winner) , Ean Bonjour. (1st Place winner) and Casey Cole (2nd Place winner) with Mark Faulkenberry.

Here is a BLAST FROM THE PAST....The photo

at left shows the Mooreland Plant at the start of

construction for ML-1 unit in 1962. Photo was taken

by the Mooreland Leader staff.

Pictured below is the Mooreland Plant today.

Blast From The Past

C&I Marketing Manager & Legislative Coordinator Scott Williams presents a check for $5,000 to the Oklahoma Youth Expo on behalf of the Touchstone Energy Co-ops for the Justin Whitefield Scholarship endowment to OSU for future scholarships. Over the past four years, more than $25,000 has been given to the fund.

Pictured L to R: Scott Williams, Bob Funk, CEO of Express Employment Professionals, and wife Janine, Jimmy Harrel, Owner of Bank of Western Oklahoma, Tyler Norvell, Executive Director of the Oklahoma Youth Expo.

Check Presented to Justin Whitefield Scholarship Fund

Erica Stubbs, daughter of lead power line technician Sammy Stubbs, and the Mooreland Lady

Cats recently competed in the Regional 2A Golf Tournament on Wednesday at Prairie View Golf

Course in Weatherford. Inclement weather forced the 11 teams to play only nine holes in the

regional competition, with six teams advancing to the State Tournament.

The Mooreland Lady Cats were Regional Runner-Ups and advanced to State for 13th year in a

row. Erika shot a 40 and was best out of 67 other girls and won the Regional Champ Individual

Award. Congratulations to Erica and the Mooreland Lady Cats.

Erica is a senior at Mooreland High School and is pictured 3rd from the left. Erica is pictured receiving her Regional

Champion Individual Award.

Mooreland Lady Cats Advance to State for 13th Year Straight

A lucky Airman from Tinker Air Force Base and her family were happy to receive tickets from WFEC to attend a recent Thunder game. Staff at Tinker Air Force Base selected the Airman who went above and beyond in their duties. TSgt Nixon along with her husband and their two special needs children were thrilled to be chosen to attend the game. WFEC has given Thunder tickets to each cooperative and to Tinker and Altus Air Force Base personnel this season.

Cameron Robison, daughter of Mike Robison, Hugo

Plant Shift Supervisor, was recently elected to the

Oklahoma Family, Career and Community Leaders

of America (FCCLA) State Executive Council for the

third consecutive year. Cameron will be representing

Oklahoma in the National Elections Process during the

annual National Leadership Conference this July in

Nashville, TN.

Thunder Up!

Robison Receives FCCLA Honor

THE LINEMANWhat are their thoughts, these hardy souls

tangled in knots on top of poles,

sweating it out in a blend of blue,

doing a job few would do?

What are their thoughts,

this gallant crew,

who risk their lives the long day through,

in summer heat or winter snow,

taking orders from afar and below?

What are their thoughts, these men of brawn,

who joke and swear or hum a song,

who know their distance well could

be a rubber glove from eternity?

What are their thoughts at the close of day,

as they scramble down and put hooks away?

Do they thank God for the heart skipped beat,

to feel the earth beneath their feet?

What are their thoughts as they head for home,

longing once more to greet their own?

Surely they must feel some delight,

knowing they helped turn darkness into light.

Source: Paul Harvey

April 18, 2013 Declared National Lineman Appreciation Day by U.S. Senate

Happy Birthday wishes go out to all WFEC employees enjoying a birthday.

Have a wonderful day!

Hal Broyles 4/27 Randy Amstutz 4/27

Kim Sokolosky 4/27 Mike Kinder 4/30

Greg Henagar 4/30 Joe Alexander 4/30

Kelly Abrams 5/01 Ricky Allen 5/01

Jared Cochran 5/02 Danny Thomas 5/03

Roy Boyer 5/04 Chris Crosley 5/05

Allyn White 5/05 Dan Blocker 5/06

Jimmy Blakley 5/06 Wally Young 5/06

Terry Rogers 5/06 Marsha Baker 5/09

Two things define you. Your patience when you have nothing, and your attitude when you have everything. ~Unknown.

It’s time once again to honor our graduates in the upcoming edition

of the EnerCom. If you have a son or daughter graduating from high

school, college or technical school, please fill out the information

below, attach the student’s photo and send to Sondra Boykin or

Maria Crowder by this Friday, April 26. Or, if you have a high

quality digital photo, you can e-mail that, plus the below information to

s_boykin@wfec.com or m_crowder@wfec.com.

Please note the April 24 deadline, as we will not be able to accept submissions after that week.

Thanks.

Name of Student:

Parents & Employee’s Title:

Name of School:

If College – Degree Earned:

Send in Your Graduate’s Pictures

Happy Birthday wishes go out to all WFEC employees enjoying a birthday.

Have a wonderful day!

Hal Broyles 4/27 Randy Amstutz 4/27

Kim Sokolosky 4/27 Mike Kinder 4/30

Greg Henagar 4/30 Joe Alexander 4/30

Kelly Abrams 5/01 Ricky Allen 5/01

Jared Cochran 5/02 Danny Thomas 5/03

Roy Boyer 5/04 Chris Crosley 5/05

Allyn White 5/05 Dan Blocker 5/06

Jimmy Blakley 5/06 Wally Young 5/06

Terry Rogers 5/06 Marsha Baker 5/09

Two things define you. Your patience when you have nothing, and your attitude when you have everything. ~Unknown.

Hidden Employee Numbers CongratulationstoRichard Hamilton and Kevin Mayforfinding

theiremployeenumbersinthelastissue.

Youcouldbethenextwinnerofa$10LogoRoomcredit.

Ifyoufindyouremployeenumberinthisedition,callBrittany HicksatExt.4335.Pleaseuseyourcredit

beforethenextpaydayifpossible.