La Plata Electric Association has hosted three workshops presented by Dan Harms. I’ve been fortunate to attend two of these workshops in person and have watched a recording of the other, accessible through LPEA’s website.
I was surprised when I read a recent letter to the editor (Herald, Oct. 28) calling the most recent session “a distraction.” Dan goes to great lengths to distill the highly technical information of the electric system down to layman’s terms. He uses actual facts and figures to address the benefits and limitations of the current system and in bringing more renewables on line.
I, for one, welcome hard data when trying to make a decision on how quickly we should move to more renewable sources of energy. When, where and how much are what’s lacking in the push to go 100 percent renewable.
I think it’s great that a third of our electricity (27 percent from Tri-State and 5 percent from local generation) already comes from renewables. That’s more than double the national average!
But unlike some, I want the transition to be both stable and affordable for all. I heard a lady say that she “would be willing to pay any amount for renewable energy.” All well and good for someone who has both the desire and financial ability. But please don’t believe all members want to write such a blank check.
Finally, about the statement that Kit Carson is buying electricity “that is at least 20 percent lower than Tri-State,” then why did Kit Carson raise its rates this year?
Barry Lausman
Ignacio
