[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 162 (2016), Part 4]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 5424]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




  HONORING THE CITY OF LEXINGTON ELECTRICAL DEPARTMENT FOR EARNING A 
 RELIABLE PUBLIC POWER PROVIDER PLATINUM DESIGNATION FROM THE AMERICAN 
                        PUBLIC POWER ASSOCIATION

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. RICHARD HUDSON

                           of north carolina

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, April 28, 2016

  Mr. HUDSON. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the City of Lexington 
Electrical Department for earning a ``Platinum'' Reliable Public Power 
Provider (RP3) designation from the American Public Power Association 
(APPA). The ``Platinum'' RP3 designation establishes the Lexington 
Electrical Department, located in Lexington, North Carolina, as one of 
the most reliable and high-quality public power providers in the 
nation.
  For the past seven years, the City of Lexington Electrical Department 
has been recognized by the APPA as an industry leader with a ``Gold'' 
level designation. However, with this ``Platinum'' designation, the 
Lexington Electrical Department joins an elite group of only 29 utility 
providers nationwide that have earned this impressive distinction. In 
order to be recognized as a ``Platinum'' provider, the provider must 
earn a score between 90 and 98 percent of the possible points across 
all scoring metrics used by the APPA. The City of Lexington 
accomplished this goal by excelling in the four RP3 disciplines 
established by the APPA: reliability, safety, workforce development, 
and system improvement.
  The Lexington Electrical Department has become a recognized leader 
not only in the state of North Carolina, but across the entire country. 
Their innovative workforce training programs should serve as an example 
of how to prepare employees to meet the ever-growing demands of the 
21st century. They have also demonstrated an unwavering commitment to 
providing high-quality services to the people of Lexington by engaging 
in public-service projects like the proactive tree trimming project, 
resulting in a significantly reduced number of power outages during 
this year's winter storm season. The people of Lexington should be 
comforted to know their utility needs are being provided by one of the 
finest utility departments in the entire nation, and should be proud of 
the staff at the Lexington Electrical Department who worked so hard to 
earn this distinguished honor.
  Mr. Speaker, please join me today in congratulating the hardworking 
members of the City of Lexington Electrical Department for earning the 
American Public Power Association's ``Platinum'' Reliable Public Power 
Provider designation.

                          ____________________