The LPEA board elections have turned into a dirty mess of special-interest politics led by one-sided personal agendas. It started last year when some candidates obtained board seats and then began pushing to get out of a power-purchasing contract with Tri-State Generation and Transmission in the name of renewable energy. TSGT, an electric cooperative like LPEA, is owned by LPEA and 42 other cooperatives.
LPEA and TSGT are national leaders in the renewable energy initiative. While TSGT currently has a generation portfolio that includes coal and natural gas as its base-loading generation, renewable generation of wind, solar and hydro now nears 30 percent of the combined generation. This has been a significant shift for a company of this size. I’ve watched it, and I believe the shift to more renewables will continue for many years to come.
If the special-interest candidates get voted onto the board of directors, there will be a push to leave TSGT at a cost of hundreds of millions of dollars to LPEA, affecting member rates. You, as a member, will have no say, as the board vote to leave TSGT (costing millions) will be solely a board decision.
I urge you to vote for these candidates in your district: Bob Formwalt, District 1; Kohler McInnis, District 2; Gene Fisher, District 3, and Karen Barger, District 4. I know these candidates are conscientious citizens and concerned for the membership as a whole.
Thank you for voting. It counts for all LPEA members.
Steve Gregg LPEA Chief Operating Officer (retired)
Durango
