The Florida Public Service Commission announces a workshop to which all persons are invited.
DATE AND TIME: Monday, May 17, 2010, 9:30 a.m.
PLACE: Betty Easley Conference Center, Room 148, 4075 Esplanade Way, Tallahassee, Florida 32399-0850.
GENERAL SUBJECT MATTER TO BE CONSIDERED: 2010 Hurricane Season Preparedness Workshop. To provide a forum for Florida’s electric utilities as well as local exchange companies to brief the Commission on their 2010 hurricane season preparation. As has been well documented, the multiple hurricanes and tropical storms of 2004 and 2005 caused extensive electric utility restoration costs and outages in Florida. National hurricane experts again are calling for a more active than average hurricane season in 2010, which begins June 1.
The Commission has scheduled this workshop to ensure that all appropriate actions have been taken to protect the electric transmission and distribution facilities in the state from the impact of extreme weather events such as hurricanes. Each utility will address the status of preparation it has achieved in protecting its facilities to date. Such preparations may include the status of facility inspections; maintenance and repairs; coordination with other utilities, government, and community groups; and various storm-hardening measures. These presentations will also address work remaining to be done and specifically identify areas of concern or vulnerability.
Both the electric utilities and the local exchange companies are scheduled to make presentations. It is understood that while the electric utilities own the vast majority of the electric transmission and distribution infrastructure in the state, local exchange companies own many of the poles upon which electric utility infrastructure is placed.
EMERGENCY CANCELLATION OF WORKSHOP: If a named storm or other disaster requires cancellation of the workshop, Commission staff will attempt to give timely direct notice to all interested persons. Notice of cancellation of the workshop will also be provided on the Commission’s website (http://www.psc.state.fl.us/) under the Hot Topics link found on the home page. Cancellation can also be confirmed by calling the Office of the General Counsel at (850)413-6199.
A copy of the agenda may be obtained by contacting: Steve Garl at (850)413-6676.
Pursuant to the provisions of the Americans with Disabilities Act, any person requiring special accommodations to participate in this workshop/meeting is asked to advise the agency at least 48 hours before the workshop/meeting by contacting: Office of Commission Clerk at (850)413-6770. If you are hearing or speech impaired, please contact the agency using the Florida Relay Service, 1(800)955-8771 (TDD) or 1(800)955-8770 (Voice).
For more information, you may contact: Office of Commission Clerk, Florida Public Service Commission, 2540 Shumard Oak Boulevard, Tallahassee, Florida 32399-0850, (850)413-6770.