PSE’s Nutter Receives AGA Trailblazer Lifetime Achievement Award
Over the past 25 years, new technologies have affected every aspect of the natural gas industry. Federal regulations have also called for new training and testing requirements, particularly the extensive Operator Qualification rules.
As manager of operational training at Puget Sound Energy, with responsibility over both the natural gas and power sides of the company, Troy Nutter has remained attuned to all these changes since joining PSE in 2001.
It’s why the American Gas Association recognized him with the Trailblazer Lifetime Achievement Award for creating a much-lauded culture of safety at the utility.
Nutter is responsible for technical training enterprise-wide, including natural gas, electric, generation, customer service and the Operator Qualification programs. Working with subject matter experts throughout the company, he and his team determine how to train workers on the use of new tools and techniques and ensure the safety of employees, the system and the public. This includes emphasizing the limitations and possible pitfalls of new technology—like artificial intelligence—to make sure employees understand there are no shortcuts to safety.
Beyond these responsibilities, Nutter shares his knowledge widely. An active AGA participant, he co-chairs the Operational Qualification Integrity Task Force, encouraging member organizations to raise the training bar, and serves on the Best Practices Steering Committee.
He also serves on the Clean Energy Technical Workforce Council for the Washington State Workforce Board, as well as the Strategic Transmission Workforce task group for the Washington State Department of Commerce. In addition, he has chaired three executive leadership boards for three federal training grants related to the energy sector in the Pacific Northwest totaling over $30 million, and he facilitated six energy-sector skill panels.
He is also a frequent presenter, eager to engage with colleagues in sister utilities.
How does he do it all? “I’m a lifelong learner. My focus is always on leaving things better than I found them,” Nutter said.
He said he always encourages his team members to ask, “What are the possibilities? What are the opportunities? How do we move things forward?” At the same time, he said, “I’ve been blessed with a team that is extremely curious and are always ready to challenge” current practices.
During training, Nutter’s goal is to make the complex problems simple and the abstract ideas relevant—for example, “What does this mean to somebody on a gas line as they’re tightening a valve? How do we convey the importance of what they’re doing?”
“Energy companies have a heavy responsibility,” Nutter said. “We have to plan and teach people good decision-making, good situational awareness, and the ability to stop and think before they rush in.
“What I do is risk mitigation at its finest. It’s human performance. It’s how we make sure people are competent, qualified, focused on safety—and go home at the end of the day.”