<
https://reasonstobecheerful.world/new-mexico-electricity-cooperative-breaking-up-with-fossil-fuels/>
"In 2006, Luis Reyes Jr., CEO of Kit Carson Electric Cooperative, an
electricity distribution cooperative in northern New Mexico, was in a bind. On
one side, clean energy proponents were pushing him to add more renewables. On
the other, Kit Carson’s energy supplier, Tri-State Generation and Transmission,
was doubling down on coal. Worse, the co-op’s contract with Tri-State — which
barred it from producing more than five percent of its own energy — wouldn’t
end until 2040.
“That was really the start of the breakup,” Reyes said.
Kit Carson’s ensuing separation from Tri-State, which took nearly a decade, was
driven by the persistence of its members. Unlike investor-owned utilities,
which are controlled by shareholders, rural distribution co-ops answer to the
households and businesses that use the energy.
A product of the New Deal, Kit Carson was founded in 1944 to bring electricity
to rural northern New Mexico. Today, there are 832 rural distribution co-ops
nationwide.
In general, rural co-ops rely more on coal and have moved more slowly toward
decarbonization than large investor-owned utilities. But that’s changing, with
Kit Carson leading the charge. Co-op members worried about climate change are
leveraging the distinctly democratic governing structures of rural distribution
co-ops to encourage decarbonization. Robin Lunt, chief commercial officer at
Guzman Energy, Kit Carson’s current energy supplier, called co-ops “a great
bellwether” for shifting public opinion.
“They’re much closer to their communities,” she said, “and to their customers,
because their customers are their owners.”
But democracy is messy, and change can take years. Lunt praised Reyes’ patience
and persistence at Kit Carson, while Reyes credits the committed, vocal co-op
members who pushed it to be “good stewards … of the land and water.” Still, the
job is far from done, as the co-op continues its struggle to phase out fossil
fuels entirely."
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
