As a current La Plata Electric Association board member, it is important to call out the factual inaccuracies in John Purser’s candidate statement.
He stated, “There is now a push to expand the role of LPEA as an electricity generator.”
This is untrue. LPEA has no plans to generate its own electricity. Ideally, we find partners that generate electricity locally from carbon-neutral sources.
He also stated, “Tri-State’s goal for greenhouse gas reduction exceeds the strategic goal for LPEA.”
This is misleading.
Tri-State’s goals change regularly and do not match up with their actions. They are deeply committed to coal. Per their 2019 annual report, they averaged over $120 million a year in coal purchases in recent years, and are committed to $330 million-plus in the next few years.
LPEA’s goal is to “reduce its carbon footprint by 50% from 2018 levels by 2030 while keeping members’ costs of electricity lower than 70% of our Colorado cooperative peers.”
Purser stated, “There is no longer an environmental justification for leaving Tri-State.”
This is also untrue.
The justification is simply that we can get to 100% carbon-neutral faster and without Tri-State’s planned rate hikes. Tri-State energy is such a bad deal that they insist on charging millions for co-ops to leave. This isn’t how the free market is supposed to work.
I have had the pleasure of serving on the LPEA board with incumbent candidate Tim Wheeler, and I can assure you he is deeply versed in the facts.
John Witchel
Durango
