2022 was a rich, full year for No Coal No Gas. We took in person and virtual action, we supported our comrades through the court system, and we’ve grown our community. Veteran organizers welcomed in fresh faces, and took on new roles, including Kendra, who has just started her new position as 350 New Hampshire’s coal organizer! These are just a few of the things we’ve been doing to build community, show what’s possible, and shut down the last remaining coal plant in New England:
On January 8th, No Coal No Gas kicked off the year with an action at the Merrimack Station–the region’s last coal-fired power plant. A few of us climbed up the smokestack of the plant while it was running and released a banner that said “SHUT IT DOWN.” Two other folks locked themselves to the base of the tower in support, while others supported from the river and the road. “This action was really joyful for me to participate in personally, and certainly got the attention of plant owners Granite Shore Power,” says Leif, one of the climbers. You can read an article about the action here.
A banner stating “shut it down” hangs from a smokestack at Merrimack Generating Station.
Moving on to February, the campaign pivoted our focus towards regional grid operator ISO New England’s Forward Capacity Auction, which keeps Merrimack Station and other fossil fuel plants alive through an absurd system of ratepayer subsidies. To protest that outdated system, No Coal No Gas decided to host our own parody “Auction of Horrible Things” aimed at educating the public about ISO’s tomfoolery. Once the results of the real ISO auction were released, we spent March organizing 250 people to submit public comments to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission opposing the continued subsidies to Merrimack and other fossil fuel generators. This initiative also opened a door for us to build a continued relationship with FERC’s Office of Public Participation, as well as ISO stakeholder groups and ratepayer advocates in our region. These relationships have proved very strategic in our ongoing ISO organizing!
In March, we also supported five defendants from 2019’s Hooksett Coal Train Blockade as they stood trial in Concord Superior Court. Though they were blocked from using a competing harms defense (necessity defense) by the judge, each defendant and their defense team did an incredible job articulating the reasons for their actions and their deep concerns surrounding climate injustice. Dozens of community members attended the trial in support and though four of the defendants were ultimately convicted, the trial was a huge victory for community building and NH legal organizing. “It was so inspiring for me to watch my friends stand strong in the face of an unjust and bureaucratic legal system,” says Leif, “it was lovely to watch the network of support that came together as we simultaneously organized around the return of coal trains to our communities.”
The Hooksett defendants and supporters, wearing red, stand outside the courthouse with a banner reading “No Coal No Gas: Strike Down Coal, Build Up Justice.”
In April, we received the incredible news that Castleton Commodities, one of Granite Shore Power’s parent companies, had divested from fossil fuels! Propelled by this victory, we returned to ISO organizing by holding a protest outside of ISO Stakeholder group NEPOOL’s spring meeting, while simultaneously dropping a banner from a nearby train bridge. This action was really exciting to me because it was led by a lot of folks who were new to the campaign! Over the following months, we kept building leadership capacity- through trainings, workshops, and affinity group networks designed for supporting new action leaders. It was so exciting to me to watch newer folks step into leadership roles, from working groups to action planning, to core campaign strategy!
Activists hold a banner stating “Welcome ISO Stakeholders! Support Rapid Grid Transition!” and signs stating “Stop the Monster,” “System Change,” and “Support Greening the Grid.”
A “Strike Down Coal, Build Up Justice” banner hangs from a railroad bridge.
In the late spring, some of our veteran activists held a ceremony at Merrimack Station’s coal ash disposal site- a testament to their determination for collective healing in a month filled with war, violence, and dirty political deals. Throughout the summer and into the fall, we also did court support for defendants from the September 2019 Bow action, the smokestack action, and the Oct 2021 gardeners action. In the fall, we crashed a FERC’s technical conference on winter grid reliability, and handed out goodie bags of coal in protest of FERC and ISO policies. We also attended ISO-NE’s first ever open board meeting, and used the public comment time to critique ISO’s continued support of fossil fuels.
An activist stands with a “Climate Crisis Ahead” sign next to a No Coal No Gas banner and several brown paper goodie bags.
Activists in white Tyvek suits hang flowers and a banner stating “We join W. Virginia Rising: No More Coal” on a chain link fence topped with barbed wire.
In October, we published a parody press release, as well as a spoof website, announcing that Granite Shore Power had filed to retire Merrimack Station. We were able to publish in Utility Dive, a major clearinghouse for news about the utility industry, during the window in which Granite Shore Power could have actually filed with ISO New England to de-list the plant. Our article remained up for 9 whole hours, and our spoof website was online for several days before being removed due to “copyright complaints.” Leif found the creativity of this action super energizing: “There’s just something so delightful about being able to get under a corporation's skin, unmask the harms they are creating and show the world as it should be!”
In December, we kept up with the theme of corporate surprises by showing up in droves to ISO-NE’S Consumer Liaison Group (CLG) biannual election, where we elected 6 activists and 6 allies to serve as the Coordinating Committee. The CLG has traditionally served mostly as a corporate luncheon, where grid regulators and fossil fuel lobbyists present ISO talking points to attendees. Many of us found it delightful to show up with a hundred other activists and see industry insiders’ bafflement at the collective power of ordinary ratepayers. “I’m really hoping the new coordinating committee will be able to turn the CLG into a platform for frontline voices, climate action, and participatory energy democracy,” says Leif. You can read more about the election here and here.
New members of the Consumer Liaison Group pose together in the ballroom where they got elected.
And now, coal trains are back in the region. On the dark morning of the winter solstice, several of our friends stopped a train carrying 15,000 tons of coal to Merrimack Station and locked themselves to the track to keep it stopped for hours. After the longest night of the year, two blockaders were ultimately arrested, and then released without charges. As long as Merrimack Station keeps attempting to refuel, we are determined to get in the way of burning coal. You can read the press release about our action here, and find a lot of great livestream videos on the No Coal No Gas Facebook page.
Two activists sit locked down on either side of a train rail.
Whether we are standing atop smokestacks, sneaking extra cookies from the ISO luncheons or saying goodbye after three hour zoom calls, we know each and every person in No Coal No Gas has our backs. We love building community with you all, and are so excited to continue that in 2023!
-From Leif & Eleanor
