Close Merrimack Generating Station

Bow Plant (09.28.19 from Josh Lent) -  (20).jpg

No Coal No Gas is a campaign to shut down the last coal power plant in New England, in Bow, NH.

In just one hour, the Merrimack Generating Station emits as much carbon as the average American does in 26 years and pollution from the plant is making neighbors sick.  Ratepayers pay millions of dollars in subsidies even though the plant provides less than 1% of our power.

The No Coal No Gas campaign is run by a powerful coalition of grassroots organizations! For more information about the No Coal No Gas Campaign, click here.

 

Concerns About Coal

ECONOMICS: We don’t need coal in New England to meet our energy demands. NH tax payers are forced to pay millions of dollars in subsidies just to keep the plant open. We pay the price of the climate crisis while the fossil fuel CEOs make billions of dollars.

ECONOMICS: We don’t need coal in New England to meet our energy demands. NH tax payers are forced to pay millions of dollars in subsidies just to keep the plant open. We pay the price of the climate crisis while the fossil fuel CEOs make billions of dollars.

ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE: The coal plant pollutes the Merrimack River and is currently being sued by Sierra Club and Conservation Law Foundation. Native people can no longer fish or drink the water because of dams and heavy industry like the coal plant. Emissions from the coal plant cause asthma, heart attacks, and death.

ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE: The coal plant pollutes the Merrimack River and is currently being sued by Sierra Club and Conservation Law Foundation. Native people can no longer fish or drink the water because of dams and heavy industry like the coal plant. Emissions from the coal plant cause asthma, heart attacks, and death.

 
JUST TRANSITION: Building renewable energy infrastructure keeps jobs in New Hampshire. Workers at the coal plant deserve just treatment in the transition away from fossil fuels.

JUST TRANSITION: Building renewable energy infrastructure keeps jobs in New Hampshire. Workers at the coal plant deserve just treatment in the transition away from fossil fuels.

CLIMATE CHANGE: Burning coal causes climate change. Shutting down the plant for 1 hour is equivalent to cutting 26 years of personal emissions (from the average American). We need 100% renewable energy. Fracked methane gas is just as bad as coal and cannot be a replacement for coal.

CLIMATE CHANGE: Burning coal causes climate change. Shutting down the plant for 1 hour is equivalent to cutting 26 years of personal emissions (from the average American). We need 100% renewable energy. Fracked methane gas is just as bad as coal and cannot be a replacement for coal.

 
 

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Our Campaign

We will secure a shut down date for the Merrimack Generating Station. 

We are fighting for a just transition away from coal for Merrimack Station - that means running a regional campaign to shut down the coal plant and supporting frontline organizing in the town of Bow (where the plant is located).

The negative health, economic, and environmental impacts of coal are hurting NH. It’s time to shut this monster down.

 

Sign the petition to shut down the coal plant

To: Granite Shore Power, the Public Utilities Commission and ISO New England

​The Merrimack Generating Station is the last major coal burning plant in New England without a shut down date. The station is set to receive $188 million in subsidies at the expense of New Hampshire taxpayers. This is money that could be better spent supporting renewable energy expansion in New Hampshire. We do not need this plant to meet our electricity needs. The Merrimack Generating Station is polluting our air, our water and our climate. Burning coal is not sustainable or practical. The health of our people and water is at risk every day the the plant burns coal. New Hampshire can and must do better for our economy, our environment, and the communities that we care for.

 

FAQ

Why should the plant shut down?

  • In just one hour, this coal plant emits as much carbon into the atmosphere as the average person emits in 26 years of their life. Carbon is a pollutant and contributes to the greenhouse gases in the atmosphere which propel climate change. The carbon levels in the atmosphere today are already past an amount deemed “safe.”

What is “Clean Coal?”

  • There is no such thing as “Clean coal." The fossil fuel industry created this lie as propaganda to fool people into thinking coal is good for the environment. There is no way to capture even a significant amount of the carbon released from burning coal. There is no way to stop the toxic pollution caused by mining and burning coal.

What happens to the workers when the plant closes?

  • We are not members of the Union that represents the workers at the Merrimack Generating Station. When the plant sets a closing date, the union will know what is best for their workers and we will stand alongside them to fight their right to a good paying job.

Didn’t the plant get new scrubbers?

  • Yes. In 2012, the plant got scrubbers to reduce their mercury and sulfur output. These scrubbers did nothing to negate the large amount of carbon this plant releases into the atmosphere. The scrubber cost NH electric rate payers hundreds of millions of dollars and we are still paying for it on our monthly electricity bills.

Do we mine coal?

  • No, New Hampshire does not mine coal or frack gas. Coal trains travel to NH carrying tens of thousands of tons of coal from coal mines in other states. Mining coal is disastrous for communities across America.

Why are we shutting the plant down?

  • Burning coal causes climate change and climate change hurts New Hampshire. Our coasts are flooding, our snow is melting and our farmers are facing horrible droughts. Across the world, low income communities and communities of color feel the impacts of the climate crisis at a disproportionate rate. The owners of the plant are profiting off of the destruction of our land, air, and climate and we cannot continue business as usual.

Who owns the Merrmimack Generating Station?

  • The coal plant is owned by a company called Granite Shore Power which is owned by Atlas Holdings, LLC based in Connecticut.