A Letter to the Trustees of the Flathead Electric Cooperative
Submitted by Jeanne Marie So... on June 1, 2010 - 8:57am
April 22, 2010
To: Trustees of the Flathead Electric Cooperative
From: FEC Members
Re: Our Energy Future
Dear Board of Trustees,
As members of the Flathead Electric Cooperative, we would like to share our concern for our energy future. We support a sustainable energy policy that reduces greenhouse gas emissions, saves energy and money, and creates economic opportunities and jobs in our valley. We believe that our cooperative should take a more active role in moving our valley toward a clean energy future. We are glad the cooperative has become a leader in renewable energy and energy efficiency opportunities for members, but feel we can and should do more on advancing strong policy at the state and federal levels.
The Northwest Power and Conservation Council’s 6th Power Plan provides a least cost roadmap for how our electrical providers should meet new energy needs. That plan is focused on conservation and developing renewable energy resources where necessary. We believe the Flathead Electric Cooperative should follow the lead and focus on conservation and local, clean energy investments. Efficiency investments are an effective strategy to reduce our electrical costs, provide opportunities for good paying jobs in energy efficiency, and position the utility to meet a low carbon future. These investments can also delay the need to develop expensive new resources to meet energy demands.
As cooperative members, we are disappointed in the role our cooperative has taken in opposing comprehensive clean energy and climate legislation that would put a cap on carbon. Recent economic analysis shows that forward‐looking, comprehensive energy and climate policy and long‐term price signals will create up to 13,000 jobs in Montana in the new energy economy by 2020.1
As an electrical cooperative that relies almost exclusively on low carbon hydropower from the Bonneville Power Administration, we find it odd that our cooperative would oppose such legislation. The Congressional Budget Office projects that the climate portion of the ACES bill, for instance, will cost the average family less than the price of a postage stamp a day in the year 2020, while studies suggest that the energy efficiency provisions of the bill could save U.S. consumers an average of $215 per household in 2020 and $486 in 2030.2
We urge the board of directors to evaluate the effect of comprehensive clean energy legislation compared to the cost of inaction on the cooperative, to consider the ramifications of unmitigated climate change to FEC’s region and Montana, and take a stand in support of legislation that puts a strong cap on carbon. We also ask that the co‐op not use member dollars for lobbying activities unless and until the members have been made aware of, and the entire board has voted on, such efforts.
Sincerely,
Chris Brooks
Western Home Journal
729 Spruce Ct
Whitefish, MT 59937
Peter Leander
Peter Leander Law Offices
443 Osborn Avenue
Bigfork, MT 59911
Darin Fredericks
Wisebuilt
12477 Sunburst Drive
Bigfork, MT 59911
Peter Siudara
338 Lupfer Ave
Whitefish, MT 59937
Erin K Sexton
PO Box 190940
9080 Highway 2 E
Hungry Horse, MT 59919
Mary and Greg Cornell
629 4th Avenue East
Kalispell, MT 59901
Jeff Arcel
Mother’s Power
PO Box 580
Whitefish, MT 59937
Robert I Lopp
PO Box 7547
Kalispell, MT 59901‐3364
Scott Wheeler
1110 Bald Rock Road
Kalispell, MT 59901
John M. Muhlfeld
River Design Group, Inc.
5098 Highway 93 South
Whitefish, MT 59937
Jack Potter
2145 Witty Lane,
Columbia Falls, MT 59912
Brandon Bugge
Bugge’s Construction CleanUp
625 Somers Ave
Whitefish, MT 59937
Cecily and Edward McNeil
2969 Rufenach Circle
Kalispell, MT 59901
Michael Smith
Algae AquaCulture Technologies
333 Lupfer Ave
Whitefish, MT 59937
Jim Fiddler
P.O. Box 1677
Bigfork, MT 59911
Jan Metzmaker
915 Dakota Ave
Whitefish, MT 59937‐2112
Mary Riddle Cornell
125 Glenwood Dr, Apt 218
Kalispell 59901
Edd Blackler
PO Box 555
Bigfork, MT 59911
Connie Cohen
PO Box 1657
Whitefish, MT 59937
Mayre Flowers
PO Box 3094
Kalispell, MT 59901
Dee Blank
PO Box 593
Whitefish, MT 59937
Richard Kuhl
Flathead Audubon
867 North Main
Kalispell, MT 59901
Erin Burke-Webster
303 4th Ave E
Kalispell, MT 59901
Janet Morrow
PO Box 5258
Whitefish, MT 59937
Dawn Tacke
738 1st Ave West
Kalispell, MT 59901
Ryan Hunter
311 8th St W
Whitefish, MT 59937
Joe Carbonari
P.O. Box 2445
Kalispell, MT 59903
Dave Mitchell
PO Box 525
West Glacier, MT 59936
Kassandra Hardy
806 Columbia Ave
Whitefish, MT 59937
Ellen Horowitz and Frank Vitale
880 Blackmer Lane
Columbia Falls, MT 59912
Steve Thompson
National Parks Conservation Association
PO Box 4471
Whitefish, MT 59937
Gina Nelson
264 El Rancho Road
Kalispell, MT 59901
Steve Burglund
President
Great Bear Builders, Inc.
P. O. Box 2445
Kalispell, Mt. 59903
David B. Hampton
2015 E. Lakeshore Dr
Whitefish, MT 59937
Julienne Valentine
790 Somers Rd
Somers, MT 59932‐9744
Rachel Potter
2145 Witty Ln
Columbia Falls, MT 59912‐8826
Cory Cullen
New World Recycling
PO Box 4681
Whitefish, MT 59937
Joan Vetter Ehrenberg
744 Hidden Valley Dr
Whitefish, MT 59937
Eric Grimsrud
26 Whitetail Meadows Road
Kalispell, MT 59901
Steven Kleinschmidt
347 Blanchard Holw
Whitefish, MT 59937
James Valentine
790 Somers Rd
Somers, MT 59932‐9744
Douglas H. Chadwick
230 Missy Lane
Whitefish, MT 59937
Betsy Funk
990 McCaffery Road
Bigfork, MT 59911
Edwin Fields
511 Lakewood Ct.
Whitefish, MT 59937
Len Ford
Ford Construction
150 Industry Court
Kalispell, MT 59901‐7991
David Fischlowitz
Fischworks Building Services
201 Second Street East
Whitefish, MT 59937
Eve Hunter
311 8th St W
Whitefish, MT 59937
Jena Ponti
Bruce Boody Landscape Architects
458 Cougar Trl
Whitefish, MT 59937
Diane Yarus
Airworks, Inc.
294 2nd Ave NW
Kalispell, MT
Will Hammerquist
National Parks Conservation Association
PO Box 521
Whitefish, MT 59937
Frederick "Erick" Robbins
610 9th St W
Columbia Falls, MT 59912‐3827
Jane Kleinschmidt
347 Blanchard Holw
Whitefish, MT 59937
Dave Hadden
Headwaters Montana
545 Holt Drive
Bigfork, MT 59911
Lisa Jones
LJ Communications
500 Depot St
Whitefish, MT 59937‐2571
Jeff Laverdiere
Grouse Mountain Lodge
2 Fairway Dr
Whitefish, MT 59937‐3254
Gil Jordan & Kimberly Pinter
PO Box 130373
Coram, MT 59913
Kate O'Brien
421 West 7th Street
Whitefish, MT 59937
Riley and Pat McClelland
150 Edgar Lane
West Glacier, MT 59936
John Ashley and Tracy Schiess
PO Box 855
Kila, MT 59920
Fawn Simensen
965 Swan Horseshoe Dr
Bigfork, MT 59911‐6547
Eve and Charlie Dixon
410 Lake Hills Lane
Kalispell, MT 59901
Frank and Linda Dekort
Flathead Audubon
1290 Lost Creek Dr
Kalispell, MT 59901‐7018
Laura Negin
89 Lake Of The Woods Ln
Bigfork, MT 59911‐6026
Michelle Tafoya
Montana Business Leaders for Clean Energy
112 E 1st Street
Whitefish, MT 59937
Tonya Price‐Konopka
617 Echo View Rd
Bigfork, MT 59911
Brian Peck
615 Trap Rd.
Columbia Falls, Mt. 59912
Linda Regnier
197 Lakeshore Dr.
Lakeside, MT 59922
Dave Streeter
PO Box 2031
Whitefish, MT 59937
Bob and Laurie Muth
2902 Foothills Rd.
Kalispell, MT 59901
Roger and Sue Sherman
6203 H Monterra Ave
Whitefish MT 59937
Jane Adams
1401 4th Ave West
Kalispell, MT 59901
Bea Landt
433 Seville Lane
Coram, MT 59937
Jana Goodman
50 2nd St. East #105
Kalispell, MT 59901
Keith Hammer
Swan View Coalition
3165 Foothill Road
Kalispell, MT 59901
Kerrie Byrne
PO Box 4471
Whitefish, MT 59937
Don Arthur
375 Dyer Road
Kalispell, MT 59901
(34‐year member of the Flathead Electric Co‐op)
Andy Hudak L.C.P.C.
801 Riverlakes Parkway
Whitefish, Mt. 59937
Mitch Burgard
1534 Third Ave W
Columbia Falls, MT 59912
Ed Lieser
1355 Lion Mt. Dr.
Whitefish, MT 59937
Inger Molver‐Lemke
439 Grand Ave. #329
Bigfork, MT 59911
Donald J. Burgard
107 6th St W #2
Columbia Falls, MT 59912‐2017
Gail Metcalf
626 2nd Ave W
Kalispell, MT 59901
Stacy Jacobsen-Burgard
1534 Third Ave W
Columbia Falls, MT 59912
Arlene Montgomery
P.O. Box 791
Bigfork, MT 59911
Todd Tanner
178 Wolf Creek Ranch Road
Bigfork, MT 59911
Linda Miller
615 Trap Rd.
Columbia Falls, Mt. 59912‐9223
Jeffrey Funk
990 McCaffery Road
Bigfork, MT 59911
Susan Schnee
Copperleaf Chocolat Co.
242 Central Ave
Whitefish, MT 59937
Rebecca L Johns
141 Holt Ridge Rd
Bigfork, MT 59911‐6373
Helen Bushby
479 Birch Grove Rd
Kalispell, MT 59901‐6550
Molly McCabe
178 Wolf Creek Ranch Road
Bigfork, MT 59911
Linda and John Winnie
PO Box 220
Kila, MT 59920
Mike and Sandy Koness
207 Shelter Valley Dr
Kalispell, MT 59901
Centennial Timber Frames
1001 Trumble Creek Rd
Kalispell, MT 59901
Laura Behenna
648 5th Ave. East
Kalispell, MT 59901
Todd P. Johnson
100 Riverside Road
Kalispell, MT 59901
1 University of California Berkley, Clean Energy and Climate Policy for U.S. Growth and Job Creation: An Economic Assessment of the American Clean Energy and Security Act and the Clean Energy Jobs and American Power Act, October 2009, http://are.berkeley.edu/%7Edwrh/CERES_Web/Docs/ES_DRHFK091024.pdf
2 Congressional Budget Office, The Economic Effects of Legislation to Reduce Greenhouse‐Gas Emissions, September 2009, http://www.cbo.gov/ftpdocs/105xx/doc10573/09‐17‐Greenhouse‐Gas.pdf, American Council for An Energy‐Efficient Economy, Energy Efficiency in the American Clean Energy and Security Act of 2009: Impacts of Current Provisions and Opportunities to Enhance the Legislation, September 2009, http://aceee.org/pubs/e096.pdf?CFID=3640791&CFTOKEN=61556211
