350.org affiliate 350NH helps close final coal plant in their region & usher in a just transition
New Hampshire, U.S. — We could all use some positive climate news. And our friends at 350NH recently helped make some very good news possible: not only will New England be FREE of coal by 2028, but the power company says they plan to use the former coal plants as clean energy plants.
GOODBYE to coal in New England, US
A little louder for those in the back: No Coal No Gas, a campaign launched by the Climate Disobedience Center and 350 New Hampshire, has successfully SHUT DOWN New England’s last remaining coal plant. After years of pressure from direct action and lawsuits, coal company Granite Shore Power made a historic deal with the EPA to transition their coal plants to renewable energy. They are trying to claim that this was their plan all along. We’re so glad they’re (finally) on board, but this is only the result of years of strategic action from 350NH and their partners.
Photo credit: No Coal No Gas campaign
There’s so much to be hopeful about here. This win happened in a political climate where state legislators have refused to acknowledge the coal plant issue, and where legislative efforts to establish a climate action plan have failed. But this is why we advocate from different angles, and this is why public pressure is so important!
“When we are fighting the fossil fuel industry, we win by working from every angle,” said Reverend Kendra Ford, Organizer with 350NH and No Coal No Gas. “We build grassroots power, people apply pressure through the legal and regulatory systems, journalists ask questions and follow up, local citizens get engaged in creating the future of their own communities. It takes all of us. I am grateful for everyone’s commitment and persistence.”
What has that persistence looked like?
Well, first 350NH won a major campaign to bring offshore wind to the coast. Then they successfully stopped a new proposed fracked gas pipeline and storage tank. Those were two key steps in driving support for a just transition and proving that New Hampshire does NOT need coal, oil, or gas to meet their energy needs.
Meanwhile, the final coal plants in the region stubbornly held on and resisted public pressure—at first. No Coal No Gas liberated over 500 pounds of coal from the plant, blockaded multiple coal trains, and planted a garden in the middle of the plant’s driveway to show Granite Shore Power that a different system is not only possible, but necessary. Meanwhile, allies at the Sierra Club and Conservation Law Foundation waged many of the legal battles associated with this facility. These combined efforts put a spotlight on the toxic impacts of this costly power plant. Granite Shore Power was forced to make a plan that brings clean energy to a community long burdened by coal.
Why does this matter outside of New Hampshire and the New England region?
This is a powerful reminder that climate progress isn’t only possible with the ideal conditions. We can’t outspend fossil fuel executives. But we can expose them and turn the tide of public pressure. And we can make it so that they have no choice but to be part of the transition.
What’s next for the No Coal No Gas campaign? How can you help them build on this win?
350NH and their partners have already demonstrated that New Hampshire does NOT need fossil fuels to meet its energy needs and is ready to transition to clean energy—including at times of peak energy demand. Now they need to make sure that federal regulators don’t get in the way. No matter where you live, you can help No Coal No Gas build on their win and make New England fossil free. Just sign onto this letter calling on federal regulators to stop giving money to high-emitting fossil fuel “peaker” power plants.
Help 350NH build on this win and sign onto their letter to federal regulators
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Photo credit: No Coal No Gas campaign
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