On Saturday, October 17, 2020, we celebrated the one-year anniversary of the massive bucket-by-bucket action at the Merrimack Generating Station that took place on September 28, 2019. The rain cleared out and the sun shone on the peak autumn foliage as around 35 of us gathered near the Merrimack River in Hooksett, NH. Only a few miles south of the power plant, we came together for remembrance, community building, song, ceremony and some fall fun — and topped it off with a little ghostly visit to the plant.
Speakers Samrawit Silva, Anna Rose Marion, and Kai Parlett from 350 New Hampshire, and Quincy Abramson of New Hampshire Youth Movement, spoke powerfully of doing what must be done. Samrawit, a resident of the town of Bow, said, “I am here today to fight for my community’s and my family’s right to breathe clean air. There is no reason this plant hasn’t already been shut down.”
Isaac Petersen, Sonja Birthisel, and Julie Macuga acted out a hilarious halloween-themed skit, which included copious puns and ribbing Gordon van Welie, the CEO of ISO-NE, the region’s electrical grid manager.
Isaac: “I have a really good reason to scare somebody. You see, it’s Gordon van Welie….”
Isaac’s Aunt: “Wiley? Like the coyote!? Is that coyote still running off cliffs?”
Isaac: “No, not the coyote, but he is running us off a cliff. See, he’s the one who decides if New England is going to keep using fossil fuels on the grid.”
Isaac’s Aunt: “WHO ARE YOU CALLING A FOSSIL!?!? You’re not going to get any candy if you’re rude like that!”
The pressure is mounting on van Welie, and not just from No Coal No Gas; five New England governors recently joined forces to pressure changes at ISO-NE to ensure states can achieve their emissions reduction goals.
The speeches were followed by a time of ceremony led by Emma Schoenberg, who guided the group in a ritual around reconnection to the Earth and each other, and preparing ourselves for the work ahead.
“Although it’s been a year since our mass direct action last September, this campaign is much older and larger than that,”’ she said. “In many ways, we've been practicing to shut down the Merrimack Station for a long time.The skills and community we’re building now are going to last far beyond this one coal plant.”
The event was broadcast on Facebook, so if you want to be a part of it, you can watch the recording here.
We then transitioned to a fall fest of pumpkin carving and more. Alex Chatfield brought hand-built wooden frames to be the bones of tyvek-suit-wearing scarecrows. Michelle Vitti taught people to make beautiful and haunting paper-mache crows, painted black.
And at the end of the afternoon a crew put together a spooky tableau at the Merrimack Generating Station, replete with a “CLOSED” banner and tombstones warning “Zombie Coal Plant Ahead.”
It certainly is a zombie. Recent data indicates that coal was used 80% less so far this year compared with the same period last year. Which means that the tens of millions of dollars of annual subsidy (in the form of ISO-NE capacity payments) make this the walking dead. It’s time for reality to catch up, and for this plant to finally close once and for all. We hope you’ll be there with us when we do.
If you haven’t already, we invite you to help drive the final nails in the coffin by joining the New England Utility Strike. Let’s pressure our utilities and ISO-NE to do the right thing, and move our money from subsidizing fossil fuel generators like Merrimack station to support those most in need in these economically desperate times.
