Letter to the Editor: Letter from White River Electric Assoc.

Dear Editor:
This is an open letter to White River Electric Association members.
Please consider contacting your Colorado legislators today to ask them to vote “no” on Colorado SB 252.
Colorado SB 252 has been introduced in the General Assembly, which would mandate White River Electric Association, Inc., and its wholesale power supplier, Tri-State Generation & Transmission, Inc., to dramatically increase the amount of renewable energy sources without regard to the cost to consumers.
White River Electric and other Colorado rural electric cooperatives support renewable energy sources, such as wind, solar, geothermal, biomass and hydro. Unfortunately, SB 252 would result in extensive new renewable mandates before they are economically feasible. Making matters worse, some of the required technology is not even available in Colorado. If Colorado SB 252 is passed White River Electric will be forced to raise electric rates to comply with these politically driven mandates. Tri-State estimates the cost to implement SB 252’s proposed mandates is between $3 billion and $4 billion.
White River Electric supports economically feasible renewable energy resources but it does NOT support costly one size fits all political mandates from Denver. Furthermore, many of SB 252’s supporters and bill sponsors are exempt from its consequences due to exemptions for their wholesale power suppliers.  Imple-mentation of renewable energy resources requires thoughtful analysis and discussion. This fast tracked bill pushed by special interest groups may sound good on its face but the reality is that it will cost each WREA member-consumer thousands of dollars in increased electric rates. The result is simple… if Colorado SB 252 passes, it will increase your cost of electricity.
Please get involved and become informed on these very important issues. Please contact your local and regional representatives on this very important issue.
Contact Rio Blanco County legislative representatives: State Sen. Randy Baumgardner at [email protected], Capitol 303-866-5292 and State Rep. Bob Rankin at [email protected] /Capitol 303-866-2949.
Dick Welle
General Manager
White River Electric
Association, Inc.
Meeker