FAQ
Why are you running for the Board of Directors?
Well, to put it simply, there is a job opening for a position I think I would be a good fit for, and this is how you apply. Never thought I'd be a politician, but here I am, fighting for something I care about!
When will I receive my ballot?
Ballots should be mailed May 15th, so look for them that week. Fill them out and mail them back by June 9th, or drop them off at Empire Electric. You can also attend the Annual Meeting on June 15th and vote in person.
What does the Board of Directors do?
The Board of Directors is responsible for representing the members of the Co-op. They help guide the decisions made by EEA. Board Members also work on specific tasks such as rate development, through purpose driven committees.
Who is currently on the Board of Directors?
There are seven districts within EEA and each is represented on the Board. I will represent District 5 which includes part of Cortez, McElmo Canyon, and Towac. You can learn more about the current board here.
What is the IRA and why does it matter?
The Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) was signed into law last year. It includes $9.7 Billion for rural electric cooperatives, like EEA, to purchase or build new clean energy systems. I want to make sure we bring some of that money to Montezuma County, but first we need to address our restrictive contract with Tri-State. You can learn more about the IRA here.
Who is Tri-State?
Tri-State is basically a cooperative, made up of other cooperatives. There are 42 electric coops, including EEA, who get their electricity from Tri-State. Our current contract is very restrictive and requires us to buy roughly 95% of our electricity from Tri-State. This means we are not able to capitalize on the enormous amount of funding available through the IRA right now, because we cannot increase the amount of energy we can produce. Other coops are finding ways to get out of their Tri-State contract and it is showing up as significant cost savings for their members. Here is one article that discusses these savings, but there are many more and I encourage you to look into this further.
When other co-ops decide to leave Tri-State it will impact us. We can't sit idle and watch this happen.
Click the image above to learn more.
Tri-State's credit rating is in trouble. We could be in trouble too if we don't take control of our own energy needs.
Click the image above to learn more.