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Sangre de Cristo Electric Co‑op outlines wildfire vegetation program, scholarships and community grants
Summary
Sangre de Cristo Electric Cooperative representatives described a multi‑year vegetation management and wildfire‑risk mitigation program funded in part by a temporary rate rider of $8 per month, plus scholarships, matching grants and other community giving.
Representatives of Sangre de Cristo Electric Cooperative updated county commissioners on the cooperative’s service territory, charitable programs and a multi‑year vegetation management program aimed at reducing wildfire risk and improving reliability.
CEO Gary Kelly and communications manager Chris McGinnis described the cooperative’s footprint (about 15,000 meters across five counties, including roughly 1,100 meters in Lake County) and said the co‑op has invested in the county’s vegetation management and wildfire mitigation work. Kelly said the co‑op has spent about $1.5 million in Lake County over the past 2½ years on wildfire prevention and reliability improvements.
Kelly explained the cooperative funded an accelerated vegetation‑management program using an $8 per month rate rider that customers pay, and that contractor crews remove or trim trees and chip brush to create clearer rights‑of‑way and improved fire breaks. He said the co‑op stacks cut wood at the right‑of‑way for landowners to remove and uses chipping in place where appropriate.
Chris McGinnis described Sangre’s charitable programs, including 16 annual post‑high‑school scholarships (about $2,000 each), a matching grant program (the co‑op will match up to $200 per member donation to a regional 501(c)(3)), a “power of change” round‑up program and other giving such as emergency hardship assistance. The cooperative also partners on safety demonstrations and offers grants and sponsorships to local organizations.
Kelly said distribution and reliability work continues and that the co‑op has pursued federal and state grants to offset the cost of wildfire mitigation. He invited county emergency management and nonprofit partners to discuss grant matches and coordination.
Commissioners asked about the co‑op’s transmission and renewable‑energy mix; Kelly said Sangre receives about 95 percent of its power through Tri‑State Generation and Transmission and that Tri‑State’s portfolio is about 40 percent renewable at the time of the meeting, with plans to increase that share in coming years.
