No Coal, No Gas
End the Use of Coal in New England
On This Page:
Overview
Close Merrimack Generating Station
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 Coalition, click here.
Our Campaign
The no coal, no gas campaign will secure a shut down date for the Merrimack Generating Station.
The 350NH Bow Chapter focuses on public education and local pressure on decision makers, while the regional campaign mounts high profile nonviolent direct actions targeting the owners of the plant and the grid operators. We kicked off the campaign in 2019 with the largest nonviolent direct action NH had seen in 40 years and followed it up by blockading thousands of tons of coal train shipments to Bow.
Petition
To: Governor Sununu, 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
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.”
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
The coal plant is owned by a company called Granite Shore Power which is owned by a hedge fund in Connecticut.
