My rural electric cooperative, Cherry-Todd Electric, Mission, SD, puts out a monthly newsletter, "Hi-Line News."

The co-op's manager, David Morrison, in his October Manager's Column, said:

"We have been working with computer hardware and software for over two years to make sure the computer continues to operate accurately past the year 2000. We are confident the systems have been upgraded and will operate correctly when the year changes to 2000. We have responded to many questions about this situation and have replied to a new survey every three to four weeks. We feel this subject has been over publicized and over surveyed. We are just tired of responding to questions about the year 2000."

The "computer" Morrison is refering to is the one in his office that handles billing.

This is the same guy I wrote to over a year ago asking whether my lights would still be on come 01010000. He replied back then that they were working on their office computers to make them compliant. Cherry-Todd generates no electricity on its own. They buy all of it from other sources.

I've got my propane lights installed.

Anybody else getting this kind of idiot treatment from their utility??

jw

-- J Werner (jwerner15@hotmail.com), October 07, 1999

Answers

Save it for evidence in the law suite. Make sure when you sue, you include this idiot in the suite, in addition to the utility.

My utility (VA Power) did the same thing 3 years ago (said it was a problem they were working on in the billing system) but got religion later. No idea if they are now going to make it or are just spinning, but at least they understand the problem.

-- ng (cantprovideemail@none.com), October 07, 1999.

If you don't receive a bill, don't worry about it because they'll be bankrupt anyway. And, now power means no bill, spells B A N K R U P T C Y. IFSHTF, what meter reader is going to go read your meter? Just for the fun of it, I would call them and ask them more questions about Y2K! Ask them if they have read all the government reports, etc.

-- bardou (bardou@baloney.com), October 07, 1999.

Funny, because we are just following government orders and asking our LOCAL providers. Are they against the government?

-- Mara Wayne (MaraWayne@aol.com), October 07, 1999.

I live in a rural area of AZ. This pamplet was in my last bill from our power co. "APS is ready for y2k After working on year 2000 for almost two years, APS is now prepared to transition smoothly through December 31. We are confident, from a power generation and power delivery standpoint, that January 1 will be like any other New Year's day.

We have reviewed all key areas of the company potentially affected by the y2k computer issue. Areas reviewed include power production, power operations, transmission and distribution, information technology and customer service...... On June 26, we also notified the NRC of the readiness of the Palo Verde Nuclear Generating Station. Palo Verde's essential safety equipment is largely immune to y2k because it does not use computer chips and it is not date sensitive,...... etc.

It also says APS' coal, oil and gas generation plants also implemented y2k programs to ensure that power production will not be affected. Each test successfully demonstrated that these plants will operate as designed when the date changes over."

However if you call them and try to get more information, or copies of contingency plans, they tell you to look at their website or refer to their billing inserts (which contains only info like this pamphlet).

THE MOST IRONIC THING ABOUT ALL OF THIS IS: In the same pamphlet reporting the y2k status, there is an article on: "Be Very Careful When Using a Portable Generator" and "Other Safety Tips to Keep in Mind When Using a Generator" hummmmmmmmm

-- linda (ldc@ironic.com), October 07, 1999.

I think I'd rather be in Linda's area than jw's...at least they are aware of transmission lines needing work. That they are also aware that many people may have generators and are providing safety info is even more encouraging. They may not get everything working right off the bat, but it won't be because they didn't try or didn't take the time to find out what the problems were.

my heartfelt sympathies to you jw.

-- Shelia (Shelia@active-stream.com), October 07, 1999.

Sheesh, after reading pinhead statements like the "we're just tired of fielding Y2K questions" (simplified, not directly quoted) statement the util guy made, I'm debating keeping a dozen or so of those LED lighting systems I've started producing for my own use instead of only holding on to a couple...

God, how amazing people can be... Boggles the mind how much will hit the fan and how hard it'll splatter if/when TSHTF. Hmph. Good thing my faith is not based on people ir I'd be screwed.

He's back on the attack, and even Echelon will fear the name of-

-- OddOne (mocklamer_1999@yahoo.com), October 07, 1999.

Last year I spoke to the manager of B-Y Electric, the company that covers the rural areas of BonHomme and Yankton counties in South DAkota. He said there wouldn't be any blackouts because they don't have any embedded chips in the system. If the power did go out, it wouldn't be their fault--check with the co-op. So I tried to talk to someone at East River Electric Co-Op, the company that handles distribution to the member companies, but the "person in charge of that" was never in and never returned my calls. The woman I spoke with on the phone said they were working on it and they din't expect any problems. But if the power went out it wouldn't be their fault because they don't generate electricity-they buy it from the power plants.

So I called Ron Hochstein, the general manager of the SDREA and talkeed to him about y2k compliance. Yes, its a big problem, he said and they were all busy assessing what systems would have to be replaced (this was in June of '98). He specifically mentioned the office PCs, the fax machine, the office VCR, the telephones and the coffee-maker in the breakroom (YIKES!) all needed to be replaced. I asked about voltage regulators and in-home load regulators and he said, oh yes, those are important too (double YIKES!). But not to worry, they didn't expect any power outages, but you never know--they don't generate the electricity, they just buy it from the power plants. He said they would have some information in the monthly newsletter in "the next 12 months or so".

They started mentioning y2k a couple of months later, but it was just the usual "all is well" sphiel. This May there was an editorial in the East River Guardian that I found amusing. I wish I could give a URL for the piece, but they stopped updating their website in Febuary or March. Here is an excerpt:

Y2K 4 U? A-OK, by Tom Green

"What will it take to get these Chicken Littles to shut up? They continue to cluck and cluck about a worldwide Y2K computer meltdown that will force society into an "every man for himself scenario". Sadly, these disastrous Y2K predictions always make the front page of the newspaper, unnecessarily alarming citizens.

What angers me most about the incessant cackle of the media doomsayers is when they are confronted with reassuring facts about our nation's Y2K preparedness, that story gets tucked in the back of the newspaper, nestled between "Hints from Heloise" and the horoscopes.

Other than in this magazine, when was the last time you read a positive story about Y2K readines?"

Most of our electricity comes from Basin Electric which has power plants in North Dakota, Wyoming and South Dakota and they do seem to be on the ball as far as remediation goes, but no information about testing or contingency plans. When I emailed them and asked what exactly were their contingency plans, I was told that they had filed their contingeny plan with East River Electric and I should ask them.

Are you dizzy yet?

At least they didn't mention squirrels...

-- Sam Mcgee (weissacre@gwtc.net), October 07, 1999.