Who we vote for in the LPEA board election will determine the future of renewable energy in La Plata County. The decisions the board makes affect all of us now and into the future. Will our co-op continue on our current path of LPEA purchasing a majority of dirty coal power (supplying jobs outside our area), or will we be forward-thinking and move toward clean energy and more local-based energy jobs?
Rachel Landis is the candidate who can be counted on to lead our co-op in clean energy. She has deep roots in the environmental world, working as coordinator of the Environmental Center at Fort Lewis College.
Rachel is a committed community leader and educator who has diligently served Durango over the past six years. She has experience in managing sustainability projects in energy using an integrated approach in everything, from infrastructure and program design to policy creation.
Her opponent, Mr. Bell, stands for “an all of the above energy approach” which is a lame excuse to continue polluting our atmosphere with greenhouse gasses. His record shows he has twice donated the maximum allowable amount to J. Paul Brown’s campaigns. Brown was voted one of the top 12 dirtiest legislators in Colorado by the League of Conservation Voters.
Bell has also financially supported former Sheriff Duke Schirard, who was quoted in the Herald after his election defeat as saying, “This is purely a reaction from your liberal, democratic, gun-hating, pot-loving, abortionist, Obama-supporting socialists who have taken over Durango city government and want it to be Aspen south.”
Bell’s support of these former elected officials provides little confidence in his ability to navigate the new challenges the rapidly changing electrical industry is facing with wind and solar generation advances, electric cars, batteries and cleaner energy alternatives.
With a vote for Rachel Landis, we have an opportunity to support more clean energy being locally produced with our purchasing power of over $70 million per year.
Cast your vote for Rachel Landis on your LPEA mail-in ballot.
Ed Atkinson
Durango
