Rough road for co-op exec

Lewandowski bucks trend of supporting green

Gargi Chakrabarty, Rocky Mountain News

Published April 10, 2007 at midnight

Text size

More Energy

More stories »

Nothing about Stan Lewandowski is green.

Just ask environmentalists and some of his customers. Or him.

Sun and wind power rank on the bottom of Lewandowski's list for providing electricity.

For the general manager of Intermountain Rural Electric Association, the state's largest rural electric co-operative serving 134,000 customers, coal tops the list. His views fly in the face of a state and national movement to go more green, inching Lewandowski to the sidelines.

"The job of a electric utility is to provide reliable electricity at a low cost, not social service," Lewandowski said.

"From a practical point, coal is the solution at present. Solar is far too expensive, and wind is too intermittent," he adds. "When it comes to renewable energy, I don't do something to feel good."

To make a point, he spent $100,000 last year to hire Patrick Michaels, a global warming skeptic, as a consultant. Michaels believes that the burning of fossil fuels, such as coal, is unlikely to lead to severe warming or adverse environmental changes.

Lewandowski has helped shape IREA since 1974.

Under his management, IREA didn't raise electric rates from 1982 through 2004, is returning $9 million to customers and will lower rates by 4 percent beginning July 1.

Born to first-generation American Polish parents in Hammond, Ind., Lewandowski describes himself as financially conservative and socially liberal.

Lewandowski served in the U.S. Navy and has a degree from San Diego State University. He worked with the Rural Electric Administration in Washington, D.C., for four years. He moved to Colorado and joined IREA in 1972 and became general manager two years later - a position he holds today.

For 33 years, Lewandowski has run the co-op unfettered. But his streak might be coming to an end.

He's having to face some tough times, personally and professionally.

His wife Gayle, 63, recently suffered respiratory failure and is recovering. At the same time, Lewandowski lost a campaign to defeat a Gov. Bill Ritter-backed bill that doubles Colorado's renewable energy goal.

Ritter last week signed into law the bill requiring rural electric co-ops such as IREA to get at least 10 percent of their electricity from renewable sources such as the sun, wind, and plant and animal waste by 2020.

"I'd have liked to see IREA at the table," Ritter said soon after signing the bill at the National Wind Technology Center in Boulder while standing amid tall wind power turbines. "But at the end of the day, I couldn't let (IREA's opposition) stop us from doing the right thing for the state."

Three environmental activists are running for IREA's board positions that are up for election this year.

Mail-in voting began about three weeks ago. One of the candidates, Mike Kempe, was declared a winner Monday, while the remaining two will know the results by Wednesday. The advocates hope to change IREA's, and Lewandowski's, views on running the electric co-operative.

"Stan is very well known in the industry and has had a vision about how IREA should be run financially successfully for years," said Jake Meffley, 59, a candidate who also works for Environment Colorado. The environmental group is not directly involved with Meffley's campaign.

"His view of how a co-op should be run seems to be backward-looking rather than forward-looking," Meffley said. "I respect him for being very knowledgable in utilities and co-ops, but I think it's time for change."

Lewandowski says he's not opposed to renewable energy. IREA gets more than 6 percent of its electricity from hydro. But when it comes to electricity from wind or solar, reliability and cost are big concerns.

Two years ago, a majority of IREA customers voted to exempt the co-op from Amendment 37, he says, although some customers complain they were misled by the co-op's campaign.

The ballot measure, passed by Colorado voters in November 2004, required utilities to get a portion of their electricity from renewable sources by 2015. Now HB 1281 doubles that goal, although co-ops have a lower target than larger utilities.

Lewandowski is not happy, but he has to comply.

He said he plans to retire in two to three years after Xcel Energy's coal-fired power plant, Comanche 3, in Pueblo comes online and hopefully lowers rates. IREA has a small stake in the plant.

Or he could retire sooner, depending on his and his wife's health.

"I enjoy my work, it's my hobby, but I won't work forever," Lewandowski said.STAN LEWANDOWSKI: OFF THE CUFF

• On Xcel Chairman Dick Kelly's comment that his vision is not to build more conventional, coal-fired power plants:

"Dick Kelly will retire and take a pension, when somebody else will come in and figure out where to get the power to serve the people."

• On utilities spending money on energy saving programs:

"Energy conservation is good, but who should do it is the person saving money on his or her electric bill. It doesn't make sense for a utility to give rebates to the person to spend less on its product."

• On the state and national movement toward renewable energy:

"If we had our way, and the best way is that we ought to use coal plants in the present and spend money on research and development (for alternatives) so our future won't be a bunch of windmills that provide power directly to the grid."

chakrabartyg@RockyMountainNews.com or 303-954-2976

Subscribe to the Rocky Mountain News