Hello everyone! We wanted to reach out with an update following our ISO shenanigans last week:
Last Wednesday was the final meeting of this iteration of the Consumer Liaison Group to regional grid operator ISO New England. This version of the CLG was formed in December of 2022, when we elected 6 activists and several allies to the CLG coordinating committee, which sets the agenda for CLG meetings. This election later came to be known as the “ballroom coup,” as it marked a major shift in ratepayer influence over ISO New England. Last Wednesday, it was time for ballroom coup part 2! Dozens of ratepayers showed up to vote in person and online, and each candidate elected was part of NCNG’s slate! You can read more about our new CLG CC representatives here- it’s a fantastic list of activists, ratepayer advocates, and just transition experts. We are so excited to work with each of them!
Four friends of no coal no gas sitting at a table together in a hotel ballroom for the Consumer Liaison Group meeting.
We also had an opportunity at the CLG meeting to ask questions of members of the ISO staff, Board and Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC). In particular, we focused on the need to prioritize energy conservation and transition defunct fossil fuel peaker plants to grid connection sites for renewable energy. We also challenged the bureaucratic maze that sends ratepayers in circles whenever we try to engage. Whenever we bring concerns or solutions to the grid operators, ISO sends us to FERC, FERC sends us to NEPOOL, and NEPOOL sends us back to ISO. And all the while, each of these incredibly powerful bodies claim that collective survival is “outside the scope” of their work. Last week, we were determined to show our grid operators that while they might be currently unwilling to recognize their power and do what is necessary to transition the grid, we are not.
On Wednesday night, we ended the evening with a community building event at the Cambridge Community Center, whose ongoing work is a stellar example of community-led climate resiliency. There, we schemed with new campaign members and CLG CC reps, and began preparing art supplies for a Thursday action at Tanner Street Station in Lowell, MA, a barely-used fracked gas peaker plant.
In the morning, we finished constructing the banner for that action in the hotel lobby outside the NEPOOL meeting, which took place in Boston the day after the CLG. NEPOOL, or t0he New England Power Pool, is supposedly the “stakeholder advisory group” to ISO-NE, yet ordinary ratepayers are barred from participating by high membership costs and secrecy requirements. (You can learn more about NEPOOL here). NEPOOL members and hotel security were quite alarmed by the presence of ragtag activists with art supplies outside their proceedings. While we were there, we distributed flyers challenging NEPOOL’s industry-centric definition of “stakeholder.” As the ones paying the bills and bearing the brunt of climate chaos in the region, ratepayers are the true stakeholders in the ISO system!
Constructing a no coal no gas banner with small traffic cones around them.
As the NEPOOL meeting wrapped up, we traveled to the Tanner Street Peaker Plant in Lowell, Ma (otherwise known as the Lenergia Energy Center). Like most fossil fuel peaker plants, the Tanner Street peaker plant runs very rarely–only about 1.53% of the time at a total capacity of 85 megawatts (MW). Tanner street didn't even participate in last year's forward capacity auction, meaning it did not commit to producing electricity at all in 2026. If we used this 85 MW grid tie to connect solar power to the grid, we could power more than 14,000 homes in Lowell (source), and it’s time for Tanner Street Station’s private equity owners to put this grid tie to better use.
Together with activists from 350 Lowell, we began transitioning this grid-tie ourselves. We erected solar panels beside the plant’s substation, complete with jumper cables ready to connect the new resource. The banner we left behind reads, “Use me for Green Energy”- referencing our demand that ISO New England seize defunct substations and use them to accelerate grid transition. If you’d like to watch a video of our action, you can find it here. If you’d like to get involved in the fight against the Lowell Peaker in particular, please don’t hesitate to reach out, and we can connect you with 350 Lowell about future actions!
Five no coal no gas activists standing with solar panels, cables to connect the panels, and a big banner that says “use me for Green Energy” in front of Tanner Street peaker plant in Lowell, MA.
Overall, it was a fun and exciting week for the NCNG campaign. On the 5th anniversary of our first train blockade, we are still chugging along- shutting down fossil fuels, building community, and challenging power structures in the process. The world is bleak right now, but we know a better future is possible, and we’re working to make it happen. So many thanks to everyone for coming to meetings and actions the past month!"
Lots of love,
Leif, on behalf of the No Coal No Gas Campaign
