◆ $200,000 donation given.

Provided by the Wyoming Press Association

Donations totaling $200,000 for Colorado, Nebraska, New Mexico and Wyoming coronavirus relief and recovery efforts are being made by Tri-State Generation and Transmission Association on behalf of its 46 member distribution cooperatives, public power districts and non-utility members.

“Concern for Community” is one of the seven Cooperative Principles that guide the not-for-profit cooperative business model. Electric cooperatives, which were formed by their members, have a long history of supporting their communities in times of crisis. Tri-State will re-allocate funds to be distributed to relief efforts in all four states served by the association’s members.

“We are proud to support each governor’s efforts to provide relief in their state,” said Rick Gordon, chairman of Tri-State and director of Mountain View Electric Association in Limon, Colo. “Cooperatives know well that we are all stronger when we combine our resources and work together to serve our communities.”

Tri-State is working with the governors’ offices in all four states in which it operates, to identify relief fund needs.

Tri-State will donate to the Colorado COVID Relief Fund; the All Together New Mexico Fund; the Wyoming Hunger Initiative and all local United Ways of Wyoming; and the Nebraska Impact COVID19 Relief Fund.

Tri-State’s electric system is operating normally to deliver power to its members, and the wholesale power supply cooperative has implemented well-planned procedures to address pandemics that ensure reliable power and protect the health of its employees and its communities.

“Tri-State is focused on safely delivering power and ensuring the reliability of the regional power grid while protecting the health of our employees and the communities we serve,” said Tri-State CEO Duane Highley. “Our employees continue to do the hard work of ‘keeping the lights on’ while taking good care of each other and their communities.”

Tri-State is a not-for-profit cooperative of 46 members, including 43 member utility electric distribution cooperatives and public power districts in four states, that together deliver reliable, affordable and responsible power to more than a million electricity consumers across nearly 200,000 square miles of the West.