Activists rally in Bow along with a national day of distributed actions to “end the era of fossil fuels” by demanding Granite Shore Power retire the coal plant
BOW, New Hampshire - 75 climate activists held a “Retirement Action” outside the gates of Merrimack Station to prefigure the closure of the coal plant. They wore white tyvek suits and stood outside the gates of the coal plant to show their determination to end the use of coal if the owners of the plant will not. Members of the crowd roasted the coal plant, sang songs, and danced as if celebrating the retirement of coal.
“We’re here to show Granite Shore Power that if they’re not willing to retire the coal plant, we will,” said Olivia (she/her) with No Coal No Gas. “It is irresponsible to continue taking money from ratepayers to keep the coal plant online. We know we need to phase out fossil fuels NOW in order to curb the worst effects of the climate crisis. This facility has polluted Bow and the Merrimack River for too long - it’s time to shut it down.”
Members of the public who joined the Retirement Action held signs that said “Happy Retirement, Merrimack Station,” “Shut it down,” and “Climate Justice Now.” They drummed on white five gallon buckets and spoke of a future without the polluting presence of a coal-fired power plant. An overwhelming police presence surrounded the coal plant, including Bow police, state troopers, an overhead drone, and water patrol.
“The health and wellbeing of this community and this land is at stake,” said Preesha Chatterjee, a resident of Bow. “The continued presence of this coal plant hurts our health, our environment, and our climate. It’s time that we transform this place into something that actually benefits the community - like a solar farm, space to recreate in the Merrimack River, or community garden space.”
From June 12th - June 19th, electricity generators in New England that filed to de-list or retire their power plants will receive their retirement offers. That means if Granite Shore Power filed a de-list bid, they’ll receive the terms of their retirement. They could decide during the following week to announce their retirement and move toward closing Merrimack Station as a coal-fired power plant for good. Now is a crucial time to fight for Merrimack Station to clean up the pollution from over 50 years of storing and burning coal and ensure a healthy future for the river and the community in Bow.
“The coal plant should have retired years ago,” said Kendra Ford (she/her), organizer with 350NH Action and No Coal No Gas. “Failing the forward capacity auction this year signals that it's really time. Because the plant could find out this week if they got money to support their retirement - we are celebrating as if that is true. We are celebrating a move into a future in which this plant, and the land this plant is on, supports the health of the people and the planet. We are celebrating an end but also a new beginning of a better way.”
When the coal plant does close, it cannot be replaced with a gas plant, or with new gas pipelines in the region. Expanding fracked gas projects is a threat to our health and wellbeing, and will further exacerbate the climate crisis.
“New England is over-reliant on fracked gas, and our regional grid operator continues to use ratepayer dollars to subsidize the oldest, dirtiest, and least economical fossil fuel fired power plants on the grid instead of using those resources to build the future grid that we need. And we can see the impacts of that on utility bills,” said Marla Marcum (she/her) with Climate Disobedience Center and No Coal No Gas while a police drone buzzed overhead. “We cannot afford to let this coal plant turn into a gas plant, or to allow energy companies to use a future closure of this power plant as an excuse to build more pipelines. We need to invest in clean, renewable energy for Bow and for the entire region. this transition will lower energy bills into the future and ensure clean air and water for all.”
As the fracking industry overtakes coal and oil, it is pushing for a massive expansion of new fracked gas export infrastructure across the United States. U.S. fracked gas exports have skyrocketed in recent years and are poised to boom in the wake of the war in Ukraine. This rapid increase in gas exports threatens to push up prices for domestic consumers and unleash massive climate-warming emissions, which are not being accounted for by current national emissions projections. Shutting down coal plants is the logical next step for reducing greenhouse gas emissions and cleaning up pollution across the country - but we need to ensure that coal is not being replaced with gas.
“There are some basic minimum steps that society must take right now to minimize the impacts of the climate crisis,” said Jim (he/him), a member of No Coal No Gas. “One such step developed countries must take is to stop the burning of coal immediately. If these minimum steps are not met, I believe we have an obligation to take non-violent action as citizens. I am willing and able to take such action, and will continue doing so until New England is no longer burning coal for energy.”
This action was taken in solidarity with 67 other actions across the country to " End the Era of Fossil Fuels” by stopping projects destroying our land, air, water, and climate. For the New England states, ending the era of fossil fuels means shutting down the last coal plant in this region and preventing the expansion of more gas infrastructure - from pipelines to storage tanks and compressor stations. Millions of people took action to Stop the Willow project in Alaska before and after President Biden’s approval of the project. The fights to stop the Mountain Valley Pipeline, Line 5 pipeline, and other fossil fuel projects continue.
No Coal No Gas is a campaign dedicated to ending the use of fossil fuels in New England. This action is supported by the Climate Disobedience Center and 350 New Hampshire Action and is part of a nation-wide escalation to end fossil fuels from June 8th-11th sponsored by People Vs. Fossil Fuels, 350 Network Council, the Center for Popular Democracy, Zero Hour, Fridays for Future, and the Climate Organizing Hub and endorsed by 64 other Indigenous, climate, labor, and environmental justice organizations nationwide.
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