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Delta-Montrose Rejects
Tri-State Contract Extension, Backs Renewable Energy
January 25, 2007
The Board of Directors of the
Delta-Montrose Electric Association voted on December 20 to reject a
10-year contract extension with Tri-State Generation and
Transmission in Westminster. The vote was 9 – 0.
The board took issue with
Tri-State's rate increases the company says it needs to build three
new coal-fired power plants in eastern Colorado and western Kansas.
The company estimates the plants will cost $5 billion, which is to
be picked up by the 44 electric cooperatives the company serves in
New Mexico, Colorado, Kansas, Nebraska, and Wyoming. Tri-State is a
wholesale electricity producer and distributor that deals almost
exclusively in coal-fired power generation.
The DMEA board wants to meet its
growing demand with conservation programs and expand its reliance on
renewable energy. The board has asked Tri-State to raise its 5% cap
on local energy generation so the association can take advantage of
local renewable resources. DMEA has mailed a brochure to its
customers explaining the potential problems of relying exclusively
on coal for power generation.
DMEA Board President Les Renfrow
said, "This is our best chance to support our local industries by
using their waste wood, coal-mine methane (gas), and dairy manure to
generate electricity and create jobs and income here.” DMEA is an
electricity distribution cooperative based in Montrose that serves
both rural and urban communities in southwest Colorado. For details
about the board decision, see the DMEA December 22 press release:
http://www.dmea.com/board/12-22-2006%20WEB%20vote%20not%20to%20sign%20All%20Power%20Contract%20Extension.pdf
To read more about the story,
see an editorial published in the December 24 edition of the
Daily Sentinel titled “DMEA’s Green Revolution.”
http://www.gjsentinel.com/opin/content/news/opinion/stories/2006/12/27/12_27_06_DMEA_edit.html |
