20 minute read
A RESPONSIBLE ENERGY PLAN
A RESPONSIBLE ENERGY PLAN Transition to greener power underway for co-op power supplier
BY KENT SINGER EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
In January, Tri-State Generation and Transmission Association (a member of the Colorado Rural Electric Association) announced that over the next 10 years it will retire its coal-fired power plants in Colorado and replace those sources of electricity generation with wind and solar power. By the end of 2030, Tri-State will no longer operate any coal-fired plants in Colorado, thus reducing the company’s carbon emissions from its Colorado plants by 90% and reducing carbon emissions from all electric sales in Colorado by 70%. (Tri-State will continue to import some coal-fired power from sources outside of Colorado.)
This is an historic decision by Tri-State, which provides wholesale power supply to every Colorado electric distribution co-op except Grand Valley Power, Yampa Valley Electric Association, Holy Cross Energy and Intermountain Rural Electric Association. Along with the announcement of the coal plant retirements, Tri-State announced the addition of nearly 1 gigawatt (1,000 megawatts) of new renewable energy capacity to its generation resources. These new wind and solar projects will be located across Colorado, creating temporary construction jobs as well as permanent maintenance positions. After its Responsible Energy Plan is completed, Tri-State will have more than 2,000 megawatts of renewable energy capacity on its 3,000 megawatt system.
Tri-State’s new direction regarding its power portfolio is driven by several factors. In 2019, the Colorado General Assembly adopted legislation (H.B. 19-1261) that requires significant reductions of greenhouse gas emissions from all industries operating in the state. Although the rules for the implementation of this legislation have not been finalized, it’s clear that electric utilities will be required to reduce their reliance on fossil fuels in the near future. Tri-State’s need to comply with the Colorado law is an important factor in its recent announcements.
But even absent a legislative mandate, the rapidly decreasing costs of renewable energy make those resources more attractive today than they were just a few short years ago. You may recall that, in 2013, Tri-State, along with CREA, opposed Senate Bill 13-252 that increased the renewable energy requirements for Colorado’s electric co-ops. As recently as seven years ago, the cost of renewable energy was significantly higher than it is today and, at that time, we were concerned that a requirement for more renewables would increase rates to co-op consumer-members. With improved technology and economies of scale, wind and solar generating plants today can provide cost-effective energy while at the same time reducing carbon emissions.
Perhaps the most important driver in Tri-State’s course change, however, is the desire by many of Tri-State’s members for the co-op to diversify its power supply and include more renewable energy. Tri-State is owned by its 43 distribution co-op and public power district members who are in turn owned by their consumer-members. One of the key principles of the cooperative business model is “democratic member control” and that means the members at the end of the line have input into Tri-State’s resource decisions. In making these adjustments to its power supply portfolio, Tri-State is also honoring this core co-op principle.
KENT SINGER
This new path for Tri-State does not come without challenges. On the operations side, Tri-State will have to figure out how to best balance its members’ power needs with an ever-increasing array of intermittent generating resources. This may require the deployment of new technologies and operating procedures in order for Tri-State to maintain the same level of reliable power supply that Colorado’s electric co-ops have enjoyed for decades.
More important than the reliability challenges, however, is the impact of Tri-State’s new direction on current Tri-State employees. Several hundred men and women who currently work at the Tri-State coal plants and coal mines that are being retired will be affected by this decision. These are folks who, in many cases, have spent their careers and much of their adult lives serving you, the citizens of rural Colorado. They have done this difficult and sometimes dangerous work so you could have light and power. They did it without asking for recognition or praise, but simply for the satisfaction of helping their communities.
They deserve to be thanked and supported in this time of transition.
Kent Singer is the executive director of the Colorado Rural Electric Association and offers a statewide perspective on issues affecting electric cooperatives. CREA is the trade association for your electric co-op, the 21 other electric co-ops in Colorado and its power supply co-op.
The legacy of Colorado electric co-op heroes FROM THE EDITOR
BY MONA NEELEY EDITOR
This is the Colorado Rural Electric Association’s 75th year of representing Colorado’s electric cooperatives as their statewide trade association. CREA and the co-ops are excited for the next 75 years, but before we move ahead, let’s take a quick look back.
When I was hired back in 1994, there were still CREA board members who remembered the lights coming on, including the late Mick Geesen from Mountain View Electric and the late Ray Macht from La Plata Electric.
Mick was only 21 when he arrived in Colorado in 1941 to start ranching on family land. He moved from an area with electricity and knew what a difference it would make for his home outside of Agate. So, he went to work to sign up enough members that the fledgling local co-op could qualify for a Rural Electrification Administration loan to build its system. And he stayed for
MONA NEELEY 50 years, guiding the local co-op.
R a y w a s another young rancher who saw the benefits of electricity. Pagosa Springs, only 4 miles from his place, had power and when the nearby La Plata Electric bought the city system and started expanding, Ray was ready. He rented equipment and began digging holes for power poles along his driveway and toward town, even using dynamite in the rocky spots.
Ray believed in the rural electric program so much that he immediately got elected to the board and spent the next 50 years helping guide the growing co-op.
These men are just two of so many heroic co-op pioneers. Their legacy is now carried into the future by the dedicated directors serving your electric co-op today.
Mona Neeley is the statewide editor of Colorado Country Life, which is published in coordination with your local electric cooperative.
RULES: Colorado Country Life is looking for pet stories explaining what makes your pet special or what amazing things your pet has done. 1st, 2nd and 3rd place and runners up published in the magazine will be awarded cash. Stories will be published in the September magazine. Rules for the contest are as follows: 1. Story must be told in no more than 300 words. 2. Deadline to enter is May 22. Entry must be received in the office by 4:30 p.m. 3. Entries may be typed or handwritten. 4. Photo of the pet must be included with the entry. If the photo is sent digitally, it must be at least 4X5 inches in size at 300 dpi. 5. Digital entries must be sent to info@coloradocountrylife.org. 6. Mailed entries must be sent to Pet Story Contest, Colorado Country Life, 5400 Washington St., Denver, CO 80216.
Questions may be sent to info@coloradocountrylife.org. LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
Compassion Via a Lightbulb I can’t thank you enough for the inspirational and heartwarming piece about the Colorado and Oklahoma linemen who performed philanthropic work last summer in Guatemala (“Bringing Light, Finding Joy” December ’19). Citizens of Central America and poor nations around the world are often casti gated as being unworthy of the compassion and generosity we take for granted in America. And many Americans have never experienced firsthand the extreme poverty and injustices evident in poor countries around the world.
The article correctly notes that, in spite of unimaginable economic conditions, these citizens are able to find joy and hope in something as simple as a single lightbulb brought into their homes. The 20 lineworkers who participated undoubtedly also discovered joy and hope in their mission, and I’ll bet their lives will forever be changed for the better. Jim Little, Wetmore San Isabel Electric consumer-member
A Lower Carbon Footprint Reading the December issue, [I saw] a picture of former Gov. Bill Ritter and Tri-State Generation and Transmission CEO Duane Highley at the CREA Energy Innovations Summit. I noticed about six plastic bottles of water on a table in front of them. On the next page is an article on co-ops working to lower carbon energy use. Let’s try to use glass or reusable water containers as much as possible and we will work to lower carbon energy use together. M. Cary, Kremmling Mountain Parks Electric consumer-member
More Energy Efficiency The coal plant retirements and new renewable energy projects announced by Tri-State Generation and Transmission are big steps in the right direction. But more should be done if Tri-State is to truly respond to the threat of catastrophic climate change in a responsible manner. In particular, Tri-State should expand the energy efficiency programs it implements together with its member cooperatives. Howard Geller, executive director Southwest Energy Efficiency Project
SEND US YOUR LETTERS
Editor Mona Neeley at 5400 Washington St., Denver, CO 80216 or at mneeley@coloradocountrylife.org. Include full name and contact information.
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Energy-Saving Landscaping Tips
The decisions you make about your home’s landscaping can help you stay cooler in the summer and warmer in the winter. With summer around the corner, take a look at how strategic planting can help cool your home. Direct sunlight hitting windows is a major contributor to overheating the home during summer months. By planting trees that block sunlight, you can improve comfort and reduce air-conditioning energy use. If the trees eventually grow tall enough to shield the roof, that’s even better.
The most important windows to shade are the ones facing west, followed by windows that face east. Morning and evening sunlight hits the home more directly than midday sunlight. Also, an eave on the south side of the home can help shade windows during midday sun.
If you live in one of Colorado’s cooler areas, planting deciduous trees that lose their leaves in the fall will shield your windows in summer and allow sunlight in during winter to help warm your home. A simple approach that can deliver some shade the first year is to plant a “living wall” of vines grown on a trellis next to the home.
There are two other important factors to consider in some areas of Colorado: 1. Water is becoming more precious and expensive. When you pay your water bill, much of that cost is for the energy required to pump water to your home, or perhaps you have your own well. Either way, reducing water use saves money and reduces energy use. 2. If you live in an area that has wildfires, definitely take it into consideration as you develop a landscaping plan. What and where you plant on your property can either increase or decrease the risk of fire reaching your home. Planting a row of shrubs a foot from the home can provide more efficiency in cooler climates. By stopping air movement, it can form a dead air space around the home that acts as “bonus” insulation.
These are just a few ideas to help you get started. Also remember that, as with any landscaping projects that require digging, it’s important to call 811 to ensure all underground utility lines are properly marked and flagged before you start the work. Happy planting! BY PAT KEEGAN AND BRAD THIESSEN
WHITE RIVER ELECTRIC ASSOCIATION
MARCH 2020
MAILING ADDRESS P.O. Box 958 Meeker, CO 81641-0958
STREET ADDRESS 233 6th Street Meeker, CO 81641
ph tf fax email web 970-878-5041 800-734-9809 970-878-5766 amich@wrea.org www.wrea.org
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White River Electric Association, Inc., strives to provide its memberconsumers with safe, reliable and responsible electric energy and other services at the most reasonable costs possible while remaining committed to customer and community service. BY ALAN MICHALEWICZ GENERAL MANAGER Stay in the Know
In our 75 years as your electric cooperative, we are certain of one truth: things change. At White River Electric Association we are constantly striving to improve our operational efficiency so we can provide the most reliable electric service possible for you, our consumer-members. We rely on data for nearly every aspect of our operations, which is why we need your help. Accurate contact information enables us to improve customer service and enhance communications for reporting and repairing outages. For example, the phone number you provide is linked to your service address to our outage management system. This means when you call to report an outage, our system recognizes your phone number and matches it with your account location. Accurate information helps our outage management system narrow down the location and possible cause of an outage, making it easier for our crews to correct the problem.
While we always do our best to maintain service, we occasionally plan outages to update, repair or replace equipment. In these instances, we can provide advance notification to affected members. Keeping White River Electric updated with your information also helps us when there’s a question about energy use, capital credit refunds or to help us notify you of important events occurring within White River Electric — like our board of director elections held each September.
Many of you have been consumermembers of the co-op for decades and it’s likely your account information hasn’t been updated for some time. We recognize that many consumer-members now use a cellphone as their primary phone service, and we might not have that number in our system.
ALAN MICHALEWICZ
Please take a moment to confirm or update your contact information by logging in to your SmartHub account online at wrea.org or by calling our office directly at 970-878-5041 to verify the information we have on file for you. By doing so, you will help us improve service and efficiency so we can better serve you and all members of the co-op.
I want to emphasize that, in providing your contact information to the co-op, we will never share this information or sell to a third party — it is only used by White River Electric to send important information to you so that we can continue to provide the high level of service that you expect and deserve.
Let’s Go Fly a Kite … Safely Open areas are great places to fly kites, but do not fly them near overhead power lines or electrical substations. A kite string can conduct electricity from an overhead power line to the person on the ground.
Washington politics have become so polarized that it can be tough for Democrats and Republicans to come together to tackle big challenges. But recently, on Capitol Hill, dedicated lawmakers from Colorado came together to argue on behalf of the RURAL Act to protect the tax status for electric cooperatives.
Sens. Michael Bennet (D) and Cory Gardner (R), as well as Reps. Joe Neguse (D-Dist. 2), Scott Tipton (R-Dist. 3), Ken Buck (R-Dist. 4), Doug Lamborn (R-Dist. 5), Jason Crow (D-Dist. 6), and Ed Perlmutter (D-Dist. 7) listened to thousands of electric cooperative member-consumers as they worked diligently to add important legislation to the 2020 spending bill. The bill was signed into law in December and included a provision known as the RURAL Act, which solved an existential issue for electric co-ops and America’s rural communities.
Electric co-ops work to secure government grants to help pay for numerous activities that benefit the communities they serve. These include grants for storm recovery, broadband deployment, renewable energy and economic development.
In order to maintain their tax-exempt status, electric co-ops may receive no more than 15% of their income from nonmember sources. Historically, government grants to co-ops were counted as contributions to capital, but, due to a glitch in the 2017 tax law, government grants were reclassified as income, pushing some co-ops beyond the 15% threshold and jeopardizing their tax-exempt status.
The tax problem left co-ops with an unfair choice: Do they take the money they need to turn the lights back on for their members as quickly as possible after a disaster? Do they accept the broadband grants to help close the digital divide between rural and urban America? Or do they turn down those grants so they wouldn’t have to spend their consumer-members’ money paying taxes rather than improving service?
Thanks to Congress, electric co-ops across Colorado don’t have to make those trade-offs. This is good news for both co-ops and their consumer-members because some co-ops would have had to raise their electric rates to pay new taxes.
We at White River Electric are grateful to our senators and representatives for their support of the RURAL Act. In standing up for Colorado’s local communities, they proved that our voice does have value. Local Lawmakers Play Key Role to Help Rural Communities
March 2020 Energy Efficiency
Tip of the Month
Placing hot food in the refrigerator makes the appliance work harder than necessary, using more energy. Allow food to cool down before you place it in the refrigerator.
Notably, the legislation drew the bipartisan support of more than 300 lawmakers in the House and more than half of the Senate before it was passed. That’s a rarity in Washington these days.
Thanks to the policymakers listed above for looking out for rural communities across Colorado and for working to solve this problem.
Spring into Action
In Colorado, spring storms can be sloppy, slushy and precarious. Stay tuned to the National Weather Service for severe storm watches and warnings, and be sure to have an emergency kit assembled in case you get stuck in a road closure. For travel information within the state, visit cotrip.org where you can watch live streaming of traffic flow and road conditions in specific areas.
Carter Strate Cleone McPherson
Tatumn Kennedy Zagar Brown
White River Electric Association Awards Unique Experiences to Four Local Students W REA will sponsor four high school students as they embark on an experience of a lifetime at the Washington D.C. Youth Tour and the Youth Leadership Camp in 2020. Four WREA consumer-members judged anonymous essays submitted by Meeker High School sophomores and juniors to determine the 2020 winners.
Carter Strate and Cleone McPherson will represent WREA in Washington, D.C., this summer. While at the nation’s capital, they will tour several of Washington’s landmarks and museums and will join dozens of other Colorado students to meet with senators and representatives.
Tatumn Kennedy and Zagar Brown were selected to attend the Youth Leadership Camp in Steamboat Springs this July. The camp is designed to teach students about the cooperative business model by allowing students to create their own “camp cooperative” and hone their leadership skills through teamwork. Kennedy and Brown will be joined by approximately 80 students from Colorado, Wyoming, Kansas and Oklahoma for the weeklong camp.
Three Ways to Electrify Your Lawn Care YOUR CO-OP NEWS
BY ABBY BERRY S pring is just around the corner, and you can practically smell the freshly-cut grass. If you’re in the market to upgrade your lawn care equipment, you may want to consider exploring your options.
Gas-powered lawn mowers and trimmers may be your go-to equipment, but times are changing. Electric lawn care equipment options are becoming more popular than ever, offering consumers faster charging times, longer battery life and quieter, greener products compared to their gas-powered counterparts. Here are three ways you can electrify your lawn care this spring. Electric lawn mowers Electric lawn mowers improved over the last few years. Early models required corded connections, which were tricky to manage, but now the cord has been cut. Newer cordless electric mowers are certainly more expensive than gas-powered mowers, but much of the upfront cost can be recovered since electricity is a less expensive fuel than gas, and electric engines generally require less maintenance than gas engines. Cordless electric mowers typically range from $200 to $500.
Electric mowers are suitable for most lawn care needs, with batteries that typically require about one to two hours to fully charge. Most batteries can run for a full hour. That said, if you have a large yard (half an acre or larger), a gas-powered option may be best to suit your needs.
Cordless electric leaf blowers are lightweight and easy to maneuver. Photo: Scott Van Osdol
Electric trimmers Cordless electric string trimmers are a great option for most lawns. Traditionally, like lawn mowers, string trimmers have typically been powered by gas. New versions of electric trimmers are improving and are now considered worthy competitors of gas-powered models. Cordless electric trimmers are much quieter and easier to use, but most batteries last about 30 to 45 minutes. So, if you have a lot of space to trim, you may want to consider a backup battery or plan to work in short bursts. If you’re interested in purchasing an electric trimmer, the main factors to consider are the battery’s life, charge time and power. Costs can vary depending on your needs, but you can find a quality version for about $100. Electric leaf blowers After cutting and trimming your lawn, you’ll need to clear off those walkways and patios for the finishing touch. If you don’t want to deal with the maintenance of a gas-powered blower or the restraints of a corded blower, a cordless electric version is a great option. Cordless electric leaf blowers are lightweight and easy to maneuver, but they don’t offer quite as much power as gas-powered and corded blowers. If your leaf blowing and clearing needs are minimal, a cordless electric leaf blower can get the job done. Costs for a cordless electric blower vary depending on power and battery quality, but you can purchase a dependable model for about $150 and up.
If you’re looking to electrify your lawn care equipment, be sure to do your homework. Search online for the latest reviews and check trusted websites like ConsumerReports.org. With a little research, you’ll be well on your way to Lawn of the Month with less maintenance, hassle and noise, which your neighbors will thank you for.
Abby Berry writes on consumer and cooperative affairs for the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association.
New Year, New Rebates White River Electric is proud to offer its consumer-members a variety of rebates. Outdoor power equipment rebates were recently added to the existing list of rebates for appliances, water heaters and LED lighting. The outdoor power equipment rebate program is a new program to encourage members to explore the functionality of electric lawn mowers, snowblowers, trimmers, chain saws, pruners or leaf blowers. Visit the Products and Services section of wrea.org for details and associated rebate forms.
As a cooperative we are taking bold steps to change how your energy is produced. That means fewer emissions and 50 percent of your electricity coming from renewable energy by 2024. Because whatever the future holds, we’ll power it.
