Public Power: APPA's Alan Richardson to Step Down After 30 Years

March 20, 2007, 2:00 a.m. EDT 1 Min Read

After 30 years working for the American Public Power Association, Alan H. Richardson will turn out the lights on his career with the group at the end of the year, APPA announced yesterday.

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Richardson, 60, has been president and chief executive officer for the last dozen years. Initially hired in 1977 as legislative counsel, Richardson, who is an attorney, has held several APPA positions of increasing responsibility before being named to head the group in 1995. He will retire Dec. 31.

"After serving 12 years as APPA's president and CEO, I have concluded that it is time for me to move on to the next stage of my life," Richardson said in a letter to APPA board chairman John Twitty, who is also general manager of City Utilities of Springfield, Mo. "I have enjoyed my public power career tremendously."

Twitty said the group would perform a national search to replace Richardson.

"Alan has been an outstanding leader during his tenure as our CEO, and we are all committed to selecting the most highly qualified individual possible to succeed him," he said. "Although all of us on the executive committee and the board were sad to learn that Alan has decided to retire, we understand his desire to enter the next phase of his life after devoting more than 30 years to APPA and public power."

Public power utilities are not-for-profit electricity providers that are owned and operated by state and local governments and issue tax-exempt bonds to finance construction and maintenance of their facilities. There are more than 2,000 public power utilities in the United States, many very small, and they serve about 14% of the nation's electricity users, according to APPA, which lobbies Congress on behalf of the industry.

In recent years the group has been particularly active in urging Congress to improve the clean renewable energy bonds program established in 2005. CREBs are tax-credit bonds that can be issued by nonprofit utilities -- including, public power systems -- to finance the cost of renewable energy projects, such as wind generating facilities. Up to $1.2 billion of CREBs can be issued through the end of 2008.