(April 21) Northwest Public Power Association proudly recognized outstanding achievements in safety on Thursday, April 17, during its 2025 Engineering & Operations Conference in Spokane, Washington. This year’s Safety Award winners were selected based on their 2024 safety performance, including incident and severity rates, as reported on each utility’s safety contest form. The honors celebrate the commitment of NWPPA member utilities to foster safe workplaces and protect their teams on the job. “Safety is at the core of everything our members do,” said Kurt Miller, NWPPA CEO and executive director. “These awards recognize not just numbers, but a culture of care, responsibility, and dedication that protects every employee and strengthens the entire public power community.” During the conference’s closing banquet on Thursday evening, over 300 attendees from across the public power industry gathered to applaud the award recipients. Employees accepted the honors on behalf of their utilities, showcasing a collective dedication to safety across the region.
0-70,000 Hours of Exposure
- First place (tie): Mason County PUD No. 1 (Wash.)
- First place (tie): Lincoln Electric Cooperative (Mont.)
- Second place: Wasco Electric Cooperative (Ore.)
- Third place: Blachly-Lane Electric Cooperative (Ore.)
70,001-100,000 Hours of Exposure
- First place (tie): Clatskanie PUD (Ore.)
- First place (tie): Mt. Wheeler Power (Nev.)
- First place (tie): Copper Valley Electric Association (Alaska)
- First place (tie): Salem Electric (Ore.)
- First place (tie): McMinnville Water & Light (Ore.)
- Second place: Lane Electric Cooperative (Ore.)
- Third place: Columbia River PUD (Ore.)
100,001-150,000 Hours of Exposure
- First place (tie): Yampa Valley Electric Association (Colo.)
- First place (tie): Northern Wasco County PUD (Ore.)
- Second place: Fall River Rural Electric Cooperative (Idaho)
- Third place: Consumers Power Inc. (Ore.)
150,001-300,000 Hours of Exposure
- First place: Umatilla Electric Cooperative (Ore.)
- Second place: Idaho Falls Power (Idaho)
- Third place: Jefferson County PUD (Wash.)
300,001-1,000,000 Hours of Exposure
- First place: Modesto Irrigation District (Calif.)
- Second place: Roseville Electric Utility (Calif.)
- Third place: Clark Public Utilities (Wash.)
Over 1,000,000 Hours of Exposure
- First place: Energy Northwest (Wash.)
- Second place: Snohomish County PUD (Wash.)
Download the full press release here