The La Plata Electric Association is about to celebrate its 75th anniversary. Providing electricity to rural parts of the region was a huge, critical project, undertaken cooperatively because commercial utilities would not take on the capital costs of providing power to scattered properties. For decades, as its territory has expanded into the city of Durango, into Archuleta County and slightly beyond into other counties, LPEA has fulfilled its mission of providing safe, reliable electricity at the lowest reasonable cost.

For almost all of this time, coal has provided the cheapest reliable source of power. As we have been reminded by the recent observation of Earth Day, however, operations in the 21st century must also be environmentally responsible. The contest in the upcoming LPEA election hinges on the balance between “lowest reasonable cost” and being “environmentally responsible.”

What determines “lowest reasonable cost”? Is it the cheapest fuel in 2014? Or is it a diverse mix of power sources that meets current needs but moves toward the necessary and lower-cost future of renewable energy? Is it “environmentally responsible” to continue relying heavily on coal, the dirtiest fossil fuel, in terms both of its impact on air quality and its contribution of heat-trapping gases that cause climate change? Is it to move mostly to cleaner, but carbon-polluting natural gas? Or is it to move as rapidly as possible to clean solar, wind, geothermal and biomass power?

Climate change is real, and it poses a clear and present danger to southwestern Colorado. It threatens our water supply and agricultural productivity, our forest resources and our tourism industry.

Local renewable-energy sources – especially solar, geothermal and biomass – reduce our contribution to climate change, can meet more and more of our power needs and keeps money in our local community instead of sending it elsewhere to pay for our electricity. All the candidates understand renewables are changing the electrical industry. Climate change demands the change be faster, not slower.

Alison Dance and Jeff Berman understand that necessity. Please vote for them in the upcoming LPEA election.

Dick White

Durango