I want my electric power to come from clean sources, as most of us do. Search Google for “Top-10 dirtiest power companies in America” and you will quickly find that Tri-State ranks No. 4.
La Plata Electric Association spends $70 million a year to purchase power from a non-local, carbon-intense company that ranks fourth-worst in the country. We should be outraged!
Coal-fired power plants are the single biggest driver of global climate change in the U.S., and we are voting for it with our energy dollars. With renewable energy booming, it’s time for us to rethink our energy strategy.
Spain now gets 42.8 percent of its electricity from renewables. We get 5 percent. LPEA is under contract with Tri-State to receive 95 percent of our energy. We are all members of LPEA and we elect our board members to represent us.
They have not taken forward-thinking action and remain business as usual.
Fortunately, the cost of wind and solar power has dramatically fallen in recent years, making clean power an economically viable choice. Tri-State contracts that no longer serve our community can be questioned and challenged. Two other Colorado co-ops have done just that, the Kit Carson and Delta-Montrose Electric Associations.
So what should we be asking? Can we have a feasibility study done by consultants and engineers to make informed recommendations? Can we have lawyers look into fees involved to pull out of our contract? Can we keep our $70 million in electric purchases each year in our local community with renewables?
How many jobs would be created in transition? What are the health care savings to a population with cleaner lakes, rivers and air? Can we transition from old-school fossil fuels, take action to reduce our local carbon footprint and stop contributing to global warming?
Putting pressure on LPEA board members will have them rethink a policy that is outdated and destructive.
Members, and that means all of us, can show up and voice our concerns at the next LPEA board meeting on March 15 at 9 a.m. in LPEA’s building in Bodo Park.
Jo Ann Kopke
Bayfield
