Monthly Archive for March, 2011

Cimarron Solar Facility featured on Mother Nature Network

Published on March 31, 2011 in Clean Energy, Energy Efficiency, General and Renewable Energy. 0 Comments Tags: , , , .

The Cimarron Solar Facility in northeastern New Mexico is featured in a video created by the Mother Nature Network about the solar photovoltaic power plant.  Tri-State has a 25-year power purchase agreement for the electricity generated by Cimarron.

Southern Company, the operator of the facility, participated in the video which is currently posted on the Mother Nature Network Web site.  Mother Nature Network states that its goal is to provide the most accurate and up-to-date news and information available, through coverage of the broadest scope of environmental and social responsibility
issues on the internet.  The story gives a general overview of Cimarron through Southern Company employee interviews, photos, video and animated graphics.

Cimarron Solar Facility generates enough power to supply about 9,000 homes and is one of the largest solar photovoltaic plants in the United States.  Learn more here.

Several Tri-State co-ops impacted by beetle infestation

Published on March 25, 2011 in General. 0 Comments Tags: .

Tri-State and several of its member systems are being impacted by the bark beetle infestation that has killed millions of trees in western forests throughout Colorado and southern Wyoming. Since 1996, the pine and spruce beetle infestation has wiped out a massive footprint totaling more than 4.6 million acres of lodgepole and ponderosa pine forest in the two states. The dead trees are of particular concern to utilities as they could fall on power lines causing outages and potential fires.

Tri-State member Carbon Power & Light (Saratoga, Wyo.), is the first utility in the region to be given approval to begin cutting wider power line right-of-way corridors on U.S. Forest Service land to protect their lines. According to David Cutbirth, operations manager for the co-op, the contract loggers are expected to complete clearing 34 miles of federal land right-of-ways before the end of the year.

No Colorado co-op has seen more bark beetle devastation in its service territory than Mountain Parks Electric (Granby, Colo.)  “It has wiped out nearly half the forests in our service territory,” said general manager Joe Pandy. The co-op is currently going through the approval process with the Forest Service to begin cutting the dead trees along 50 miles of power line corridors.  You can read more about this potentially catastrophic situation in the upcoming spring edition of Network magazine.

Impressive milestone achieved by Craig Station employees

Published on March 24, 2011 in General. 0 Comments Tags: , , .

Craig Station has been the subject of a lot of good press lately — including recent recognition as the 2011 large business of the year by the Craig Chamber of Commerce. And now, the facility’s employees can be proud of yet another celebrated achievement.

Last week, employees at Craig Station celebrated 365 days without any days away from work related to an injury. According to Tim Osborn, shift supervisor, this is an important milestone and a hard-earned achievement.

“It’s a long time coming,” said Osborn. “We’ve never done this before — gone one year with nobody taking a day away from work because of injury.”

Mountain Parks Electric donates $225,000 to local schools

Published on March 23, 2011 in Public Outreach. 0 Comments Tags: , , , , , .

In response to a community need, Tri-State member co-op Mountain Parks Electric‘s (Granby, Colo.) board of directors recently made financial contributions to all three school districts within its service territory. At its meeting earlier this month, MPEI’s board heard first-hand from East Grand School District, West Grand School District and North Park School District superintendents about their budgetary hardships. MPEI’s board responded by donating $75,000 from its Educational Trust Fund to each district.

Over the past two years, reading, writing and language programs – the areas of greatest need — have been adversely affected by budget cuts. MPEI’s donation will allow the school districts to purchase iPads, Smart Boards, Kindle eReaders, Smart Tables, Netbooks and software for health and physical education. It will also allow them to retain reading, writing and language specialists.

The MPEI Educational Trust Fund is funded by unclaimed patronage capital. Historically, the Educational Trust Fund has funded teacher/classroom science, music and art projects and the driver education program in local high schools.

Tri-State tops Moffat County United Way giving

Published on March 14, 2011 in General and Public Outreach. 0 Comments Tags: , , , , , , .

The recent efforts of Tri-State’s Craig Station employees put the association at the top of the Moffat County (Colo.) United Way’s list of 2011 contributors, with the workforce giving a combined amount totaling $84,512. “We are fortunate to have so many generous employees working at Tri-State and we are appreciative of the matching funds approved by our board of directors,” said plant manager Rick Johnson.

Johnson, along with Craig Station maintenance planner/scheduler Steve Martin, attended the organization’s awards luncheon last week at the Craig Holiday Inn, where they received recognition of behalf of all their co-workers. Martin also currently serves as vice chairman on the Moffat County United Way’s board of directors.

Coming in second on the list of contributors with total giving of $66,386 was Colowyo Coal Company and its employees. Trapper Mining, Inc., the coal mining operation adjacent to Craig Station — which is partially owned by Tri-State — was the third highest contributor at $65,572.

Craig Station recognized as 2011 large business of the year

Published on March 11, 2011 in General and Public Meetings. 0 Comments Tags: , , .

Tri-State’s Craig Station took home top honors during the Craig Chamber of Commerce’s State of the County 2011 event on March 9th where it was named the large business of the year.

Plant manager Rick Johnson, who accepted the award of behalf of Tri-State, spoke to the benefits the facility provides to the area. “Craig Station plays an important role the economy of Craig, Moffat County and northwest Colorado,” he said. “Without Craig Station using coal from Trapper Mine and Colowyo Mine and then producing clean, economical and environmentally-friendly electrical power, Moffat County would lose the strongest corner stone on which our economy is based.”

Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper was the featured speaker for the chamber event. Earlier in the day, the governor’s chief of staff, Roxane White, and T.J. Deora, director of the Governor’s Energy Office, toured Craig Station.

Check out upcoming Spring 2011 issue of Network magazine for more information on the economic and fiscal impacts Craig Station and Tri-State’s other coal-based power plants make to their local communities and counties.

San Juan Basin Energy Connect project web site gets updated, scoping meetings scheduled

Published on March 10, 2011 in General, Public Meetings, Public Outreach and Transmission. 0 Comments Tags: , , .

Tri-State, La Plata Electric and other regional utilities have been making improvements and additions to the electric system over the years to maintain reliability. While improvements to the local system have helped, there is a need to import more power into the region to meet the needs of growing communities.  The proposed San Juan Basin Energy Connect Project would involve the construction of a 230-kilovolt transmission line by Tri-State from the Farmington, N.M. area to Ignacio, Colo. This line is needed to provide the power delivery infrastructure for the San Juan Basin that will relieve transmission constraints, serve new loads and offer economic development through renewable energy opportunities.

The project website has been updated to include revised sheet maps, updated route maps, and revised fact sheets.  There are also photo simulations available to help visualize what the transmission line would look like.  Frequently asked questions regarding the project are also posted.

In addition to the web site updates, the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Farmington Field Office will host scoping meetings for the preparation of the Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for the proposed transmission line project March 16-17, 2011.

NRECA annual meeting underway in Florida; Wolski honored

Published on March 8, 2011 in General and Public Meetings. 0 Comments Tags: , , , .

Outgoing NRECA President F.E. “Wally” Wolski spoke about his observations as a national co-op leader over the past decade. Image copyright NRECA 2011.

Several Tri-State directors and staff members are in Orlando this week attending the events of the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association’s (NRECA) annual meeting.  The opening general session featured singer Lee Greenwood, the Youth Leadership Council and presentations from NRECA CEO Glenn English and Secretary of Agriculture Thomas Vilsack. 

A highlight of the annual event took place on March 6, when NRECA president and Tri-State director F.E. “Wally” Wolski completed his two-year term and chaired his final NRECA Board meeting.  Board members elected Michael J. Guidry of Louisiana to serve as president for a term starting when the NRECA annual meeting concludes.  “It’s been an honor and a privilege,” said Wolski, who received two standing ovations from board members and NRECA staffers. 

Image copyright NRECA 2011.

On Tuesday, Wolski delivered a keynote speech to approximately 8,200 attendees from 47 states.  He spoke about his two years as NRECA president being both the most rewarding and most intense of his life and underscored the unique model and benefits of the rural electric

The NRECA Annual Meeting got off to a spirited start with the Youth Leadership Council representing each state during the national anthem. Image copyright NRECA 2011.

cooperative program.  “It allows ordinary people to accomplish extraordinary things on behalf of others.  I am living proof – a grassroots co-op member from Yoder, Wyo., from a small rural co-op, Wyrulec Company, having an opportunity to represent Wyoming on our national association.  And then having the distinct honor of being elected by my peers to serve as the 34th president of NRECA is a humbling experience and one that I will always remember,” he said.

Winter 2011 issue of Network now available

Published on March 8, 2011 in Energy Efficiency, General and Public Outreach. 0 Comments Tags: , , , , , .

Network Magazine is a quarterly publication that tells the stories of the people and communities of Tri-State G&T and its 44 member rural utilities.  In the winter 2011 issue of Network we feature the progressive energy saving programs that are being spearheaded by Tri-State member co-op, La Plata Electric Association, including time-of-use load management and efficiency lighting upgrades to some of Durango’s major facilities.

Elsewhere in this issue read about the “Power of Human Connections” in action as Tri-State, on behalf of Colorado’s Touchstone Energy cooperatives, is helping those who are struggling with hunger in co-op-served communities across the state.

Finally, check out the Manager’s Column where 2010 NRECA president and Tri-State board member Wally Wolski encourages members to “put our differences aside, stand together with one voice and ‘ride for the brand’.”

Seismic testing team makes waves near Craig Station

Published on March 7, 2011 in General. 0 Comments Tags: , , , , , , , , .


Near Craig, Colo., the Rocky Mountain Carbon Capture and Sequestration team is researching the potential for carbon dioxide storage underground, or sequestration. The project will evaluate the sequestration potential of deep saline aquifers on a large, Laramide-age structure south of Craig.

The project is important due to the location of Craig Station and has regional implications because the Entrada and Dakota formations are widespread in the Rocky Mountains and Colorado Plateau. Given the rock formations’ size, it conceivably could serve as a regional sequestration sink for future power plants, natural gas processing plants, cement plants, oil shale development and other industries that are a significant part of western Colorado’s economy.

The team completed seismic testing last month on potential well sites near Craig Station and Trapper Mine. Receivers, called geophones, are installed at the surface to register echoes from geological layers.  To create the echoes, or waves, special “vibraseis” trucks are used. The trucks are equipped with large pads that send vibrations through the earth.

To handle the winter conditions, dozers, owned and operated by a local construction company, were used to clear the snow from the lines and position the vibraseis vehicles. The construction company also provided tracked trucks called Haaglunds to carry the seismograph and cables and snowmobiles for moving people around in off-road conditions.

The next step is to assimilate this data, along with data collected by the Colorado Geologic Survey from wells previously drilled in the area, to create a geologic model of the subsurface. This will allow the University of Utah to develop computer models simulating injection of CO2 into the site in three perspective sandstone formations at depths ranging from 7,000’ to 9,500’ below surface. Later in the summer a well will be drilled to a depth of 9,600’ gathering detailed rock, fluid and petrophysical data from the site.

Project partners include Colorado Geological Survey, Arizona Geological Survey, Utah Geological Survey, New Mexico Bureau of Geology & Mineral Resources, Tri-State G&T and Schlumberger Carbon Services.