At recent La Plata Electric Association meetings, I am grateful to see more members showing up to voice concerns about long term planning, requesting:
Transparency about issues, information, and options;Member interests made primary by the board;All options explored – not just one;Information about risks, drawbacks and benefits of staying on our current path, and of each change option; The board’s guarantee that choices made will bring no appreciable increase to rates – rather long-term decreases;We are concerned that currently:
Every three years we send $200 million out of our local economy to pay for electricity – money we could keep local, creating jobs;Coal rates will keep rising, while other energy prices are dropping quickly, undermining LPEA’s grid operation with attractive home-based options for co-op members;Current price trends point LPEA at financial instability within five to 10 years by losing members. This would leave remaining co-op customers saddled with rising rates to cover fixed costs;Open market electricity prices are substantially cheaper than what we buy now. That gives LPEA options, including half-steps;Rates, reliability, and transparency seem to be universal concerns among co-op members.We don’t want to rush into anything. Our electric service works, with no big price hikes within the next couple years.
LPEA’s Long Term Strategy Subcommittee has no power to make decisions – good news. It is chartered only to do our research for us. We need to insist that all co-op members are informed about its findings.
Kirby MacLaurin
Durango
