RUS Plans for Improving the List of Materials

| For many years, RUS has published Informational    Publication 202-1, "List of Materials Acceptable for Use on Systems of RUS    Electrification Borrowers" (List of Materials). We are constantly trying to improve    this publication. The following is a summary of the initiatives RUS has started recently    and initiatives we plan to undertake to improve the List of Materials.

Already Initiated 
1. T&D Materials Subcommittee.  NRECA’s        Transmission and Distribution (T&D) Committee has established a new Materials        Subcommittee to identify needed improvements in the RUS List of Materials. The Materials        Subcommittee has met some three times since formation and has completed a thorough review        of the RUS List of Materials and has already provided RUS with valuable feedback.

The subcommittee has identified a number of product categories included        in the List of Materials that are outdated and no longer needed RUS is currently        considering removal of the items identified as outdated. The subcommittee has also        identified a number of new item categories that should be added.

Some of the new items identified by the subcommittee include such        materials as fiberglass crossarms, motor-operated switches, more types of anchors, and        Automatic Meter Reading (AMR) equipment. The RUS staff is currently evaluating some of        these items for possible listing. This evaluation involves developing requirements under        which Technical Standards Committee "A" would consider prospective        manufacturers' products. As soon as these requirements are developed and Technical        Standards Committee "A" agrees, RUS staff will begin inviting manufacturers        known to produce these products to submit applications for RUS acceptance consideration.

The Materials Subcommittee also advised that it was requesting that        NRECA establish a WEB site repository whereby NRECA members could post requests for        information about various products and, conversely, provide feedback on the performance of        various products. This new tool would also allow the Materials Subcommittee and the other        T&D Subcommittees to pass subcommittee minutes, action item notices, and enable them        to function faster and more effectively. RUS believes that the WEB site will be invaluable        in helping identify new categories of products of significant and growing interest to        borrowers.

2. RUS WEB Listing.  RUS has included the List of        Materials on the RUS WEB site at:
**http://www.usda.gov/rus/electric/listof.htm

Currently a borrower can connect to this site and download        the entire list as an Adobe Acrobat "PDF" file. We are currently updating this        listing on a biweekly basis after each meeting of Technical Standards        Committee "A." This initiative offers borrowers the most up-to-date listing        possible. 

New Initiatives

In addition to responding to applicable recommendations from the      Materials Subcommittee, RUS also plans to vigorously pursue the following actions to      improve both the quality and usefulness of the List of Materials:

1. Consider More Choices in Specific Product Listings.  Our          current regulations in 7 CFR 1728 specifically limit acceptance of one product          per manufacturer per product category in the List of Materials (dual listing prohibition).          We know that some RUS borrowers would like to see more than one of a manufacturer's          products in the same categories because, in some instances, the sole product accepted for          the manufacturer does not satisfy the borrower's needs for a specific application. We          believe that there may be a number of categories where a multiple listings of          manufacturers' products are justified on the basis of functionality and there is no          conflict with the dual listing prohibition. One example is in the "anchor"          category. We believe that in addition to anchors already included, a more rugged anchor          could also be listed and provide borrowers added utility for installing anchors in          extremely hard soil.

We plan to initiate a review of categories to see if there are product          categories where we can offer more choices like the anchor listing example. After          identifying such listing, we will then invite all the listed manufactures to submit          applications to have appropriate products considered by Technical Standards          Committee "A."

2. Addition of New Product Categories.  We are          currently working or expect to begin work on establishment of the following new product          categories:

a. Meters with AMR Capabilities – We are currently investigating            and preparing a requirements sheet for possible inclusion of a new category of watthour            meters which have AMR capabilities. When we complete this preliminary phase we plan to            send letters to all known manufacturers of such products and invite them to submit            applications for RUS acceptance consideration of their products.

b. Wood, Steel, and Concrete Poles - We are currently working with the            NRECA Transmission Subcommittee to prepare guide specifications for steel and concrete            poles. When this task is completed, we will consider using the documents produced, along            with RUS' Wood pole specifications, as a possible basis for listing and acceptance of all            three pole types; and

c. Wood and Fiberglass Crossarms - We hope to initiate the same actions            as cited in item "a" above in the near future.

3. Data Base List.  We are planning to move the List          of Materials from its present word processing format into a data base format. We believe          that in data base format borrowers will be able to better utilize the listings and run          queries and compare products with greater ease. This project will be a high priority of          the new Chair of Technical Standards Committee "A."

4. Revision of 7 CFR 1728.  We are currently          evaluating the regulation which controls the RUS listing and acceptance process. We are          hoping to introduce new provisions which will allow us to maintain the list more          effectively. As an example, we hope to make obsolete listing a thing of the past through          periodic relisting of accepted products.

We are very excited about these initiatives and the improved impact        they are expected to have on the List of Materials. However, these initiatives will        involve significant resources to accomplish and therefore will take some time to complete.
If you would like more information or have any questions, please call        Don Heald, Acting Chair, Technical Standards Committee "A" (Electric), at        (202) 720-0980.

 

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