Youth Climate Activists Call For Dinosaur Fossil Fuels to Go Extinct

February 17, 2021

MANCHESTER NH – On Saturday February 13th, a group of youth organizers from 350NH, a local climate justice organization, staged an art installation outside a Liberty Utilities facility. This action was in solidarity with the No Coal No Gas campaign, a grassroots coalition working to end the use of fossil fuels in New England and transition to 100% renewable energy, beginning by securing a shut down date for coal-fired coal-fired Merrimack Generating Station in Bow, NH. 

The organizers painted and hung posters and banners on the chain link fence outside the office. Their messages included, “It’s time for diNOsaur fossil fuels to go extinct, and, “tell the ISO it’s time for coal to go extinct.” ISO is shorthand for Independent Systems Operator of New England, the entity that manages the region’s electricity grid. The group also made cardboard dinosaurs to illustrate the concept that “dinosaur” fossil fuels are antiquated and dangerous. 

One of the organizers, Olivia Kreps, a senior at Coe-Brown Northwood Academy and Social Media Lead and Youth Fellow with 350NH, was motivated to participate in this action because she “will be moving on into the world and [she does not] want that world to be one where we still use coal.” 

This action comes a week after thirty activists from the No Coal No Gas campaign gathered at the ISO-New England headquarters in Holyoke, MA. The activists delivered a letter accompanied by two wheelbarrows full of coal, and demanded the regional grid operator cease funding for coal and other fossil fuels. The next day, ISO-NE held its annual forward capacity auction to determine how much funding fossil fuel plants like Merrimack Generating Station will receive to stay operable through 2025.

As one of the youth activists at this Saturday’s protest, Jordan King, a senior at Milford High School and member of the 350NH Youth Team, stated, “Because I’m a young person, my future is on the line and I don’t want to be the next thing to go extinct.” 

The group hopes to gain visibility for and bring more people into the No Coal No Gas campaign. Further, they aim to draw attention to an upcoming period from public comment on the ISO-NE auction results expected to take place between late February and April. 

[Photo: From left to right: Jordan King, Oliva Kreps, and Jake Vogler]

Climate Activists Deliver Wheelbarrows of Coal to ISO-NE Headquarters

Call for grid operator to cease funding coal, other fossil fuels in this week’s forward capacity auction

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
2.7.2021

Rebecca Beaulieu, 350NH, 978-491-7511, rebecca@350nh.org
Marla Marcum, Climate Disobedience Center, 781-475-0996, marla@climatedisobedience.org

HOLYOKE, MA -- Today, thirty climate activists gathered at the ISO-New England headquarters in Holyoke, Ma, to call on the grid operator to cease funding coal and other harmful fossil fuel sources. Some of the crowd wore white tyvek suits, carried buckets of coal, and chanted “Hey Ho ISO, we don’t want no dirty coal!” while walking to the entrance of ISO-NE’s headquarters. The individuals in tyvek suits dumped their buckets of coal into two wheelbarrows that were delivered to the front gate of the building.

ISO-NE will hold its annual forward capacity auction on Monday, February 8th, to determine how much guaranteed funding plants like Merrimack Generating Station in Bow, NH will receive to stay operable through 2025. The results can either limit or expand the speed of our transition from fossil fuels to renewables across the region. 

“As a resident of Holyoke I feel a special responsibility for holding the ISO accountable to the residents and ratepayers of Massachusetts and New England,” says Elizabeth Ramírez, organizer with the No Coal No Gas campaign. “Before knowing that ISO is right in my backyard, I was already alarmed about the high rates of asthma in Holyoke and nearby Springfield. I am a public school teacher in Springfield, which is infamous for being the asthma capital of the United States, ranking #1 for the highest number of asthma cases and asthma-related visits to emergency rooms. This results in high rates of absenteeism in my district and asthma, along with poverty, is one of the contributing factors.The jet stream brings pollution from other parts of the country and it settles here in our Valley and the same thing happens in Bow, NH. The pollution from their coal-burning does not stay there...it gets picked up by the jet stream, blows to other cities and towns and making THEIR students sick. Unfortunately, Black and Brown populations frequently bear the largest burden of the pollution load and this is not just or fair.”

Activists are calling on ISO-NE to suspend capacity payments and cancel existing capacity contracts to fossil fuel generators, starting with the coal-fired Merrimack Generating Station in Bow, New Hampshire. Instead of committing ratepayer dollars to subsidies in the form of fossil fuel capacity payments, activists are calling on ISO-NE to redirect that money to ratepayer relief and payment forgiveness due to the COVID-19 pandemic. In order to combat the climate crisis, we must move to 100% renewable energy, and ISO-NE is getting in the way by propping up outdated fossil fuel plants.

“ISO must use its power to support the transition to renewable energy rather than continuing to subsidize fossil fuels. We join with the Massachusetts Attorney General and U.S. Senators from around New England in calling on ISO to adopt energy market rules that promote affordable clean energy, healthy communities, and climate protection,” said Steven Botkin, one of the campaign organizers. 

This action is part of the ongoing No Coal No Gas campaign, a grassroots coalition organizing to stop the burning of coal and other fossil fuels for electrical generation in New England once and for all. For more information about the campaign, visit nocoalnogas.org and strikedowncoal.org.

###

Here is a folder with photos & video from the action.

19 Climate Activists Sentenced to 30 Hours of Community Service

Concord, NH - More than 15 months after they were arrested, 19 climate justice activists from the No Coal No Gas campaign were each sentenced to 30 hours of community service after a procedural hearing, which paved the way for automatic appeal to Superior Court and a jury trial. All of the activists were charged with misdemeanor criminal trespass following a September 2019 protest at the Merrimack Generating Station in Bow, New Hampshire; the last coal-fired power plant operating in New England without a shutdown date.

The 19 defendants spoke before Circuit Court Judge Edwin Kelly on January 14th. His written sentencing decision was released on January 26th. In it, Judge Kelly noted that the activists participated in “an organized act of civil disobedience … to demonstrate their opposition to the use of fossil fuel by the owner of the Bow Power Plant. … In the opinion of the Court, the cases before it represent a stark contrast to the recent experience in our nation's capital. The conduct of the defendants was entirely peaceful throughout the event.”

Activists and their legal team declared this a victory - albeit a procedural one - which clears the way for them to proceed to a full trial in which they will ask a jury of their peers to consider that their actions were taken in order to prevent a greater harm and, thus, both necessary and required by conscience.

The decision from Judge Kelly was a sharp rebuke of Concord City Prosecutor Tracy Connolly, who painted the activists as dangerous repeat offenders at their sentencing hearing earlier this month, recommending stiff sentences with minimum $1000 fines and 30 or 60 days of jail time for some of the defendants. 

In response to Connolly’s assertion that these activists pose a danger to the public, defense attorney Kira Kelley argued, “Passively accepting climate collapse is dangerous. So is continuing to burn coal. ‘Dangerous’ is anything less than a principled, multi-faceted campaign to combat the fossil fuel industry – including nonviolent civil disobedience when other lawful avenues for change have proven ineffective. This sentence reflects Judge Kelly’s understanding that unlawful behavior does not equate automatically to danger.”

Reflecting on the sentence, defense attorney Logan Perkins said, “We appreciate Judge Kelly’s ability and willingness to recognize the spirit and resolve of our clients and to consider the nature and circumstances of these cases, as well as our clients’ reasons for their actions. We expect those reasons will play a large role in the upcoming jury trial on these matters.” 

Nathan Lyczak of Keene, New Hampshire, received the news of his sentence with calm and clarity. "We do not get to choose the moment of our entry into the world, the circumstances that confront us during our lifetime, the choices available, or the consequences that face us for making them – but we can always decide how we will respond to the situation at hand." Lyczak continued, “When confronted by the circumstances of this climate change emergency and the inertia of state and federal government in protecting corporate profitability above public health, our conscience now compels us to respond with non-violent direct action.”

When asked to recount why she felt called to take action at the coal-fired power plant, defendant Marcy Kass of Williston, Vermont, observed, “The social contract between the governors and the governed, which is based on the assumption that our leaders are making the best decisions for our well-being, is broken. We are bound by our love for all of our children to advocate and fight for what’s right when their survival is at stake.”

Merrimack Generating Station continues to operate, propped up annually by tens of millions of dollars of subsidizing “forward capacity payments” that are taken from electrical ratepayers and funneled through ISO-New England, the region’s electricity grid operator. In his written statement to the court, defendant Jeff Gang of Somerville, Massachusetts stated, “Right now, every New Englander’s electric bill supports this power plant — not just by paying for the electricity produced at Merrimack Generating Station, but also sending $188 million in “forward capacity payments” (which amount to subsidies) between 2018 and 2023 to prop up this otherwise uneconomical plant. This number boils my blood at a moment when millions of our neighbors can’t afford rent, when demand at food pantries is higher than ever. If more people knew that their electric bills were subsidizing dirty coal that was deepening the climate crisis, I believe, things would have to change.”

On February 8, 2021, Merrimack Station will bid again to be awarded subsidies to operate into 2025. The No Coal No Gas campaign will continue to organize to stop the climate crisis until the plant is shut down. The 19 activists sentenced this week are moving toward a jury trial in the Merrimack Superior Court in Concord, New Hampshire. Updates on this case and others are posted at NoCoalNoGas.org/news

19 Activists Face Sentencing For 2019 Coal Plant Protest

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE January 14, 2021

Contact:

Jay O’Hara, Climate Disobedience Center, 774-313-0881, jay@climatedisobedience.org 

Rebecca Beaulieu, 350NH, 978-491-7511, rebecca@350nh.org

Concord, NH - Today in Concord District Court, 19 climate justice activists appeared virtually before Circuit Court Judge Edwin Kelly for provisional sentencing en-route to trial by a jury of their peers under Rule 21a. Activists are charged with criminal trespass following a September 2019 protest at the Merrimack Generating Station in Bow, New Hampshire; the last coal-fired power plant remaining in the region without a shutdown date.

In a nearly three and a half hour session, Judge Kelly heard an offer of proof and sentencing recommendation from the prosecution, a counter recommendation from the defense, and up to five-minute allocutions from 18 of the 19 defendants who are part of the No Coal No Gas campaign to close Merrimack Station and end the use of coal in the region. 

The Reverend Kendra Ford of Portsmouth, New Hampshire, spoke of her commitment and motivation to take action to end the burning of coal in the region. In her testimony, Ford shared some of the challenges of parenting a 7 year old as the climate becomes more unstable: “with a young child who is immersed in the world we have to navigate the pain of talking about the harm and losses of climate change all the time. He sees and experiences the effects on a daily basis. We all do, but mostly can get busy and ignore them. He doesn’t, he keeps calling us back to the world as it is. And I can see and feel the losses that are coming.”

“That’s what brought me to Bow, New Hampshire in September 2019,” Johnny Sanchez of Orono, Maine told Judge Kelly. “A search for any semblance of a reassurance that everything wasn’t already a forgone cause, that there were people who hadn’t already given up hope. What I found was a community of people ready to step into their courage and make their voices heard. Those peaceful voices rose up in song, in the face of riot gear and helicopters.”

That vision of community and nonviolence echoed throughout the proceedings (sometimes literally with audio trouble on the telephonic court system), as activists shared facts about global climate change and the coal industry, mingled with personal stories about what motivated them to participate in the September 28, 2019 protest.

Concord City Prosecutor Attorney Tracy Connolly, however, painted the activists as dangerous, proposing stiff sentences for nonviolent trespass on the coal plant’s property. Attorney Connolly recommended at minimum $1000 fines, with $500 suspended for a year of “good behavior”. Activists with alleged breaches of bail conditions or other alleged violations were recommended higher fines and 30 or 60 days of jail time, suspended pending a year of “good behavior”.

In light of the impacts of catastrophic global climate change, defense attorney Kira Kelly argued, “That’s the important question that we keep raising… what IS bad behavior in this context?” Kelly and other defense attorneys argued that all defendants should receive unconditional discharge, suggesting that the record of a criminal conviction is sufficient sanction for this act of community defense.

Attorney Connolly’s tough sentencing recommendation stood in marked contrast to her offer to other activists involved with the 2019 protest, many of whom took an offer of “placed on hold without a finding” for as little as two months of “good behavior.” These 19 defendants refused that offer, asserting their right to a trial by jury. Marla Marcum, of the Climate Disobedience Center, who has been working with the defendants since their arrest, said, “the prosecution’s sentencing recommendations are typical of the heightened penalties often faced by defendants who choose to exercise their full constitutional right to a trial by jury. These sentencing recommendations are a reminder that justice is out of reach for so many in the criminal legal system, especially those Black, brown, Indigenous and low-income people who are systematically pressured to plead guilty and resolve their cases without the benefit of a trial.”

Jeff Gang, an Eagle Scout from Somerville, Massachusetts, recalled years of working to avert climate catastrophe and how the experience led him to Bow on September 28, 2019, “I didn’t arrive at this decision lightly. Since my college days, I have been involved in efforts to get our government to act on climate change -- and it has shaped my entire career. I worked for years professionally to help elect climate champions. Then I worked in green finance, trying to help move money toward climate solutions. I later worked on projects with the Sierra Club and League of Conservation Voters to educate and inform people, and help make sure they cast their votes.

“In each of these avenues, I saw some signs of hope: an election we won, or another cosponsor signed-on to a legislative solution, or billions of dollars slated for renewable energy.” Gang continued, “I’m not giving up on these avenues of change, but none of them has been enough -- we’re still drastically off track from what science says we must do.”

New Hampshire statute permits the potential for rehabilitation as a grounds for sentencing. In making her case for unconditional discharge, defense Attorney Logan Perkins closed saying, “My client does not need to be rehabilitated from his determination to fight climate change.” 

Merrimack Generating Station continues to operate, propped up annually by tens of millions of dollars of subsidizing “forward capacity payments” that are taken from electrical ratepayers and funneled through ISO-New England, the region’s energy grid operator. On February 8th, Merrimack Station will bid again for subsidies to operate into 2025.

###

Reunion Gathering & Action, 10.17.20

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.

Join the New England Utility Strike!

The COVID pandemic is hitting us hard. Racial injustice, economic disparity, and climate change are hitting us even harder. 

So, we’re going on strike.

We are still burning coal in New England for electricity, and we are all paying for it.

The most vulnerable people in our communities, especially Indigenous, Black, and other people of color, are even more at risk from the pandemic, pollution and economic injustice right now.

Burning coal is a nonessential, immoral act that increases risk of respiratory illness and damages the planet. 

It’s long past time to close the last big coal plant in New England, the Merrimack Generating Station in Bow, NH.

Strike down coal, build up justice. Join us at strikedowncoal.org.

ISO, Stop Subsidizing Coal

As awareness of the climate emergency continues to grow, the campaign to transition from fossil fuels to renewable energy has turned its attention to the role of ISO-New England, the power grid operator for our region. On December 26, 2019, a protest at the gates of ISO-NE was held. On Saturday January 25th, residents and ratepayers representing multiple environmental justice organizations throughout New England held a rally and street theater performance at City Hall in Holyoke. Their goal is to bring attention to ISO for supporting the burning of coal and other fossil fuels by providing millions of dollars of subsidies. Specifically, they are challenging ISO to to commit to ending their support for the largest coal burning plant in New England (in Bow, New Hampshire).

These protests are amplifying a message ISO has already been receiving from the State Governments of New England. In December, Massachusetts Attorney General Maura Healey launched an effort to educate Massachusetts families and businesses about the substantial public health and economic costs of fossil fuel usage and encouraged them to call on ISO-New England to set market rules that support cleaner energy resources (see the video and the petition to ISO). In November, seven United States Senators from New England sent a letter to ISO-NE President and CEO Gordan van Welie. In the letter they state “ISO-NE is not considering the region's environmental and climate goals…[and] appears to be pursuing a patchwork of market reforms aimed at preserving the status quo of a fossil fuel-centered resource mix ...which will force consumers to pay millions of dollars to existing, polluting power plants with on-site fuel supplies, such as oil, coal, or liquefied natural gas.”

The event on the 25th is part of the #NoCoalNoGas campaign that has organized protests at the coal-fired Merrimack Generating Station at Bow, NH and blockades to stop the coal trains that supply this plant. “We stand with those who are blockading the coal trains. We join the Attorney General and U.S. Senators in calling on ISO to adopt energy market rules that promote affordable clean energy, healthy communities, and climate protection. And we demand that ISO New England cooperate with New England energy policies for a rapid transition to renewable energy sources,” said Steven Botkin, one of the event organizers.

Time to Celebrate!

Hello friends!

Since the end of November, six trains, each carrying 10 thousand tons of coal, rolled into New England bound for the Merrimack generating station in Bow, New Hampshire - the last large coal plant in the region. And activists from across New England responded - with six blockades - to bring that coal to a halt, and stop the burning of coal for electricity.

Now it’s time to celebrate the tenacity, persistence, boldness and love of this community -  from those who cooked up pots of hot soup and thermoses of tea, to those who stood on the tracks in the dark and freezing cold for hours this winter, and those who supported back at home or in the courtroom. Without the support of such a large community, this wouldn’t have been possible. You are all incredible.

Now it has been over two weeks since the last train rolled through, and it looks like Bow may be refueled for the season. As we shift to the next phase of this campaign together we want to celebrate the victories we have had with you all. Because, while those trains eventually made it through, we showed that the climate justice movement in New England isn’t going to let a single load of coal go unchallenged. Every hour we blockaded we drove up the cost of fossil fuels. We are the carbon tax, and the cost of doing this dirty business is rising.

It started out with three blockades of the same train on December 7th & 8th, in West Boylston and Ayer, Massachusetts, and Hooksett, New Hampshire. Then another blockade in West Boylston on December 16th. On December 28th, ten activists were arrested blockading the coal in Worcester. And on January 2nd four activists scaled a 16’ scaffold to keep the train blocked for nine hours in Harvard, Mass. In total hundreds have been involved, and we have created nearly a full day of delays. And we were just warming up!

Whatever roles you filled in the past months, we hope you will celebrate these successes with us. Building community to face the climate crisis has always been our primary goal. Since the mass action in September, we have grown together, come to know one another better, honed our skills, and gathered information, all of which will be vital to shutting this plant down. There is plenty of work to be done moving forward, and it is these very successes that will empower all of us to keep going.

Some of those next steps are becoming clearer. Activists from across the region gathered this past weekend for a strategy session to see where we’ve been, and plot some ways forward. We’ll be sharing more about it in the coming weeks, as we strengthen affinity groups, support grassroots organizing and initiative, and open up new channels of communication and collaboration. More information will be coming through to all affinity groups in the coming days about next steps. So stay tuned! 

Also, our community has nearly 100 open cases in the legal system. There will be more appearances in court over the next month, and we’ll be sure to let you know about them. The first of those will be this Thursday in Hooksett, New Hampshire for the blockaders and climbers took to the bridge over the Merrimack river. There will be more opportunities for support in the coming months.

But for now, let’s celebrate. Share your story of train blockading with your friends. Or share this story on your social media. This is a great day, and the powers that be are on notice that we aren’t backing down.

From your friends,

The No Coal No Gas Campaign