The La Plata Electric Association Board of Directors has voted to cancel the director election in three of the four districts because the candidates running in those races were unopposed.
All of LPEA’s approximately 37,000 members will still get a ballot in early May to vote on a proposed bylaw amendment, and voters in District 4 must still choose between two candidates. District 4 comprises the northern and eastern parts of La Plata County.
The board will appoint the three unopposed candidates to the seats they sought.
Nicole Pitcher, a new candidate, will represent District 1, which encompasses Archuleta County. Incumbents John Lee Jr. and Rachel Landis will continue to represent District 2 and 3 respectively. District 2 comprises the southern and western parts of La Plata County and District 3 comprises the city of Durango.
The once-contentious director elections seems to have been cooled off. LPEA’s Vice President of Member Experience Hillary Knox said that last year was the first time in 14 years that all four candidates ran unopposed.
As in past competitions, the question of whether LPEA should continue to pursue exiting its contract with Tri-State Generation and Transmission Association lingers.
David Luschen, one of the two District 4 candidates, says LPEA should continue to pursue the exit. His opponent, John Purser, is undecided pending more financial information.
In 2018, LPEA began to explore the possibility of buying out of its contract with Tri-State, which provides 95% of LPEA’s power per a contract set to expire in 2050. The exploration was driven largely by a desire to source power from green energy sources. As of the latest update in January, the co-op is still considering several options and likely will not have a final decision before early 2024.
The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission had contested a settlement between LPEA and Tri-State that would have enabled LPEA to source 50% of its power from other sources. According to Knox, the co-op is awaiting more information from FERC.
Luschen said LPEA should exit the Tri-State contract and turn toward local generation. He argues that exiting the contract will afford LPEA flexibility and stability in the future.
“If you build solar … you pretty much have a fixed costs for 20 years,” he said.
Purser disagrees. The 18-year resident of La Plata County said that despite Luschen’s 26 years of experience in the energy industry, his career in Texas has not equipped him for the director seat in Southwest Colorado. Luschen has lived in La Plata County for 1½ years.
Purser said the environmental reasons for exiting the Tri-State contract are rendered moot by recent commitments made by the provider to source more green energy.
Purser said he is undecided about whether it makes sense to leave the agreement because the exact costs of an exit remain unknown.
But he does not buy Luschen’s argument that LPEA should generate its own power because, he says, the financial and environmental costs are too high.
“My light will not burn brighter because my power is generated locally,” Purser said. “ … It makes no sense to have it (produced) locally.”
Purser has mostly focused his campaign on transparency. He said he has been repeatedly frustrated by the opacity with which LPEA has conducted business. He says the process through which LPEA explored alternatives for power purchasing may not have had the wallets of LPEA owners in mind – but he can’t say for certain because he has not seen the contract requirements.
Even customers who do not live in District 4 must still vote on the bylaw amendment, which would enable voting in future elections to take place electronically. Knox stressed that electronic voting would not replace paper ballots, but would be offered as an additional option.
Ballots for the upcoming election will be sent out in early May. LPEA members can vote by mail and are urged to return ballots no later than May 31. Ballots can also be returned to numerous dropboxes by 4 p.m. June 7, or in person at the board meeting between 4 and 5 p.m. June 8.
rschafir@durangoherald.com
This story has been updated to reflect that John Purser had sought, and been denied, access to LPEA contract requirements, rather than the contracts themselves.
