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The U.S. power industry saw several senior executive appointments recently, including a new chairman at Palo Alto, CA-based Electric Power Research Institute, which tapped Edison International CEO Ted Craver to head its board. In the public power sector, the Nebraska Public Power District named Pat Pope CEO. In the Pacific Northwest, Portland General Electric named Bill Nicholson senior vice president for customer service, transmission and distribution. Nicholson replaces Steve Hawke, who is retiring in July after 38 years with the utility.

A Palo Alto, CA-based non-profit, private energy-related research firm last week rolled out a public-education campaign aimed at raising $100 billion over a 10-year period to upgrade major electric transmission and distribution facilities, and to introduce technological changes to bring the power network in touch with the 21st Century.