Contact: Sumer Shaikh, sumer.shaikh@sierraclub.org, 774-545-0128
BROOMFIELD, CO. – To welcome Duane Highley, the new CEO of Tri-State Generation and Transmission, to the West, a group representing over 3,300 co-op members and advocates presented him a symbolic welcome basket at Tri-State’s annual meeting at the Omni Interlocken Hotel. Mr. Highley is assuming his new position during a time of dramatic changes in the energy landscape of Tri-State member territories.
"New wind and solar in Colorado and New Mexico is now cheaper than continuing to run existing coal plants, so one way or another, the transition to clean energy will only accelerate,” said Joe Smyth, a member-owner of Mountain Parks Electric, which buys power from Tri-State. “If Tri-State policies continue to limit member co-ops from reducing costs with local renewable energy and storage projects, then co-op members will work with other partners to pursue those opportunities.”
Tri-State, which serves 43 distribution co-ops in Colorado, New Mexico, Nebraska and Wyoming, is heavily reliant on coal, has substantial debt related to its previous buildout of coal and gas plants, and is facing increased pressure from its members to give them far more flexibility in developing local renewable projects to serve members’ electricity needs.
‘As a member-owner, I am concerned that rural cooperatives are not moving fast enough toward renewable energy,” said Susan Permut, a Monument, CO resident and customer of Tri-State member of Mountain View Electric. “The climate crisis is real and the economics of energy are changing so quickly. We need leadership at Tri-State to help us address these issues as quickly as possible, before it becomes too costly to both our environment and our pocket books.”
The welcome basket included a letter signed by more than 3,300 members of Tri-State co-ops and members of western advocacy organizations. It also included: craft beer brewed in Colorado; a Rockies baseball cap; a copy of a 2018 analysis from the Rocky Mountain Institute showing that Tri-State could save its members $600 million or more by switching coal to clean energy; sunscreen and sunglasses for the 300-plus days of sunshine Mr. Highley can expect; New Mexico green chile; and complimentary lift tickets provided by Aspen Skiing Co.’s sustainability office, as an example of the clean energy that large commercial users such as ski resorts demand from their power providers.
"Across Colorado and the region, communities are finding renewable energy provides lower cost power, it keeps rates stable, and it creates local jobs that many rural communities need,” said Anna McDevitt, Organizing Representative at the Sierra Club. “With new leadership, Tri-State has an opportunity to shift from high-cost coal and develop low-cost, clean energy for the families and businesses it serves. We, along with thousands of Coloradans and New Mexicans, are looking to Mr. Highley to do the right thing by his customers and keep rates affordable in the rural West by moving away from coal."
Informed of the welcome package in advance, a Tri-State official responded with an offer of a future meeting with the new CEO, which the group welcomes. Mr. Highley’s new position will put him face-to-face with some of the nation’s most cutting-edge efforts to transition from fossil fuels to clean energy, including carbon-free commitments and legislation in Colorado and New Mexico.
"Energy independence is the key to economic sustainability in the rural American West,” said Jeremy Nichols, Climate and Energy Program Director of Santa Fe-based organization, WildEarth Guardians. “With affordable, distributed renewable energy generation becoming more available by the day, it's critical that Tri-State empower its rural electric co-op members to invest in wind, solar, and storage and ensure their prosperity. This means Tri-State needs to get serious about moving away from costly coal and embracing a rural renewable revolution."
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Photos from today’s event are available at: https://www.dropbox.com/sh/vwmj9vqjbwdes7r/AACHpNrDOiezAeYH_NkerjAua?dl=0.
Cutline information:
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Joe Smyth, a Fraser resident and member-owner of Granby-based Mountain Parks Electric
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Susan Permut, a Monument, Colo. resident and member-owner of Mountain View Electric
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Karen Conduff (with basket), a member-owner of Poudre Valley Rural Electric Association
About the Sierra Club
The Sierra Club is America’s largest and most influential grassroots environmental organization, with more than 3.5 million members and supporters. In addition to protecting every person's right to get outdoors and access the healing power of nature, the Sierra Club works to promote clean energy, safeguard the health of our communities, protect wildlife, and preserve our remaining wild places through grassroots activism, public education, lobbying, and legal action. For more information, visit www.sierraclub.org.