Letter to the Editor: Protesting the SDCEA New Rate Structure

Dear Editor,

The Sangre de Cristo Electrical Association has recently changed its rates. This new rate structure is unacceptable and incongruent with the direction needed to help address climate change. Additionally, the Association has not been transparent about their dealings and are in violation of Colorado Law. SDCEA members need to be knowledgeable about this and act accordingly. Attached is an email I sent to the CEO and Board of Directors voicing my concern in more specifics:

I am writing this email in protest to the new rate structure.  It is backward in regard to what SDCEA, as well as all electricity suppliers, should be enacting.  With global warming increasingly causing issues with our planet, you should be incentivizing the use of less fossil fuel-created electricity, which is currently most of SDCEA’s power, and penalizing large users.

The fact that you are de-incentivizing the use of home solar power generation is unfathomable.  The bottom line is that you need to rethink the new rate structure and create one that helps, not adds to our global warming problem.  One last point in regard to this: merely meeting the minimum state-required use of renewable energy is unacceptable.  You should be proactive and put forth a plan to do much more.  If this means modifying or canceling the current contract with Tri-State, so be it.

Also, according to Colorado law, the dealings of the Co-Op must be totally transparent.  So why are you limiting the number of people that can attend your board meetings and not posting in a timely manner (again required by law) meeting minutes?  Where are October and December?  And, where can the consulting report that created the new rates be viewed?  As a member, I helped pay for it and should have access.  In regard to the board meetings, if you physically do not have room for more than six members, how about providing Zoom participation¹.

So, I am totally opposed to the new rate structure for the reasons above and insist that your dealings be transparent to your members.

I believe this is an important issue and ask that you publish it in the Ark Valley Voice.

Sincerely,

Kenneth Strasser

Salida

¹ On Thursday, Jan 20,  SDCEA changed the meeting from an in-person board meeting to a WebEx meeting.