By Pat McIntyre, CSU Energy Coordinator
When accessing public power is as easy as flipping a light switch, it’s sometimes easy to forget the men and women who make that possible. Today marks the start of the 28th Public Power Week, which recognizes the thousands of dedicated professionals across the country who provide and maintain our electrical grid infrastructure and services.
A nationwide celebration of public power’s value to its communities, the annual event is coordinated by the American Public Power Association.
Our not-for-profit utilities focus on a single mission — providing reliable electricity while protecting the environment. Community-owned electric utilities power homes, businesses and streets in about 2,000 towns and cities, serving 47 million Americans. Public power serves more than 4.1 million Texans.
Municipal utilities are locally owned and managed with rates and policies set by city councils or citizen boards. Keeping utility service revenue in our community helps maintain low tax rates and provides important funds for public safety, parks and libraries.
CSU recognized for reliability
Of the 72 publicly owned utilities in Texas, College Station Utilities is one of only five to receive national recognition from APPA as a Reliable Public Power Provider. The designation is based on reliability, safety, workforce development and system improvement.
The 69 employees at CSU and 27 at Utility Customer Service are the foundation for our reliable service and the electric system infrastructure that allows College Station to develop and grow.
Divisions in College Station Utilities include administration, compliance, transmission and distribution, substations, operations, design, metering, key accounts and energy conservation. In addition, Utility Customer Service encompasses customer service, residential accounts, commercial accounts and meters.
We offer our sincere thanks to the employees at College Station Utilities and Utility Customer Service for the hard work, professionalism and dedicated service they provide to our community every day.
About the Author
Energy Coordinator Patrick McIntyre has been with College Station Utilities for more than five years. A College Station resident since 1984, Pat also worked in manufacturing for 17 years and was a consultant with the Texas Engineering Extension Service for eight years. A native of Houston, Pat earned a bachelor’s degree in industrial distribution from Texas A&M in 1982.
