To the Editor:

The Dakota Energy Board of Directors (Board) sent a letter to the customers and put the letter in the newspaper about the bill credits received from Basin Electric. What they didn’t say was how much they have and continue to pay the attorneys for the court cases they have against the 17 members, East River, and Basin Electric.

How many millions more could have been credited to Dakota Energy and the other cooperative members of East River if the lawsuits were not filed? How much money have they paid to the attorneys since 2018 by the then Board of Directors stepping outside their authority and filing the lawsuit? How much money could have been saved if the six existing board members would have not voted last year to continue the lawsuit?

In its letter to the members, the Board criticized Basin Electric for not decreasing its rates.

Maybe, if the Board didn’t use such bad judgement and didn’t file the lawsuits, future rate increases by Basin Electric and East River could be delayed even longer.

The Board should stream the minutes of the board meetings live or put them on their website for the members to watch. Dakota Energy personnel taped the town hall meeting a few years ago and put it on their website. Why won’t they put the board meetings on the website? The “secretive” agreements with Guzman should also be put on the website with the Bylaws and the Articles of Incorporation.

Remember, Dakota Energy Attorney Peter Herzog told the judge at the Watertown hearing that the members don’t know what is going on, and they can’t possibly make an informed decision. If the Board meetings were available to the member/owners, the members would know what is going on.

Twyla Folk
Huron