Perhaps the most controversial decision for the La Plata Electric Association board is the potential buyout of its contract with Tri-State Generation and Transmission.
To date, the current board has not provided its member/owners with the true financial accounting of what that might cost and especially the cost of replacing Tri-State power with alternative sources and whether those sources will be as reliable as Tri-State has been.
In her May 7 letter, “Vote Ted Compton for LPEA Board,” Kathleen Adams’ assertion that Compton is focused on ending reliance on Tri-State’s “polluting sources’’ fails to acknowledge that the initial reason for leaving Tri-State is no longer relevant or sufficient justification.
In fact, the Tri-State board of directors, which includes a representative from each of the power supply cooperative’s utility members, approved a proposed settlement of its wholesale rate and contract filings made with the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission. Under the terms of the settlement, which requires FERC approval, Tri-State will immediately reduce its wholesale power rates 2%, followed by another 2% wholesale rate reduction in 2022.
If the decision to walk away from Tri-State is ever made, it is the 40,000 LPEA members who should make the final decision in a public vote after the board has conducted an extensive series of public workshops.
Donna Gulec
Durango
