Thanks to the leadership of directors Rachel Landis and Guinn Unger, our LPEA board is moving toward local generation facilities, to support our workers with jobs and lower rates.
Clean energy is now the cheapest, and employs more workers.
What’s the best path forward? Tri-State building local solar will gain us some jobs. But our $70 million a year in payments will still leave our local economy bound for Denver. Although Tri-State will save money replacing some coal production with solar, our rates will not drop. Those savings will pay interest on Tri-State’s $3 billion-plus debt.
Oh, and the salaries of Tri-State’s executive team of four is over $2.5 million combined.
If LPEA builds community-owned solar, we will gain more jobs and our rates will decline. Our millions in payments will recirculate here, adding prosperity to Durango, Bayfield and the whole region. This is very significant, in these uncertain times.
We need to think carefully not only about how we spend our money, but how we can build our own economic and job base. With local generation, our rates will dramatically drop when our equipment is paid off in eight to 10 years. The more we build, the lower our ultimate costs.
This is the reason municipalities across America are aggressively building their own renewable energy facilities. Can we go 100% renewable?
Probably, depending on how quickly energy storage prices drop.
Thank you, LPEA board, for your careful hard work! Vote for Landis, Unger and Doug Fults.
Christie ChatterleyDurango
