If one follows what’s happening at Tri-State Generation and Transmission Association, where I am the senior vice president for Member Relations, it’s clear that our cooperative is pursuing meaningful, member-driven changes to be increasingly flexible and clean.
Our members are actively considering contract options that will deliver more flexibility for local renewable energy generation. We are preparing a Responsible Energy Plan to meet environmental goals, reduce emissions and further increase renewables.
Tri-State will soon announce the results from our sixth renewable energy request for proposals to bolster our low-cost, emissions-free renewable resources. The changes at Tri-State are real and run deep. Our board of directors recently updated our mission statement to include responsibility along with our values of reliability and affordability.
La Plata Electric Association has laudable goals to reduce carbon emissions, and Tri-State is aligned to help meet these goals, as well as Colorado’s carbon reduction requirements. With membership in Tri-State, co-ops will have a cleaner power supply and more opportunities to develop local renewables, while preserving the shared benefits of the cooperative business model.
David Marston’s Oct. 26 letter to the editor (“LPEA must exit Tri-State on the double”) misinformed readers about Tri-State’s financial position. Tri-State has strong, investment-grade bond ratings. As a not-for-profit co-op, the assets needed to reliably serve our members are appropriately funded by bonds and loans similar to other highly-rated cooperative power suppliers.
Tri-State is well-positioned for the transitions ahead while maintaining competitive wholesale rates. Our members govern our co-op and together are advancing Tri-State to help serve their needs to be reliable, affordable and responsible to their member-consumers at the end of the line.
Jennifer GossWestminster
