NH's PUC & legislators want to fast-track a Liberty Utilities deal that forces Concord Steam to close and customers to convert to fracked gas. Not so fast...

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PROBLEM

Concord Steam serves NH's State House, 27 other state buildings, the City of Concord, Downtown businesses, Concord School District and some Concord homes. Concord Steam was forced to close and customers were forced to convert to fracked gas. These customers that were using steam radiators (co-generation heating), had to purchase new boilers, including Concord School District, which just recently converted to steam heat.

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Concord Steam was closed in the spring of 2017. The facility only needed upgrades to maintain clean energy standards, but legislators ignored the no-cost option of the biofuel plant being completely renovated by Green City Power. It is a biomass plant that emits particulate matter into the air, causing an inversion and unhealthy air conditions. Green City Power offered to buy the plant and do all upgrades, however, their proposal was never heard and no options were considered, only the aggressive move to natural (fracked) gas.

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THE PROBLEM WITH GAS

The Kinder Morgan NED pipeline proposal was withdrawn in the spring of 2016. The reason they cited for withdrawal a lack of gas contracts, which Liberty Utilities has been aggressively seeking since the NED pipeline was proposed in 2014. The increased demand for natural "fracked" gas gives Liberty Utilities the leverage to ask for more fracked gas to be readily available in the region. Fossil fuel companies call the Northeast "pipeline poor", while those that live here consider that an asset. The artificially crated "need" could open the door to more pipeline expansion throughout the state. ultimately involving more transmission pipes and compression, enlarging the Pelham compressor station even more or adding another compressor station. The 1% increased capacity sounds small, but it amounts to the capacity of the multi-state Kinder Morgan Northeast Energy Direct (NED) pipeline that was withdrawn last year after significant statewide and regional opposition. At the 2015 FERC hearing in Nashua, the number one request in over 3,000 comments to FERC in opposition to the NED pipeline was a desire to have renewable energy.

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CLIMATE & CLEAN ENERGY GOALS

Converting customers to fracked gas, increasing atmospheric methane, is in disagreement with the climate goals of the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI) and our state's climate goals.

* Note the update below in red related to the Paris Climate Accord.

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Natural gas is methane (CH4), a super-potent greenhouse gas that traps 86 times as much heat as CO2 over a 20-year period. Even a very small rate of leakage can impact climate significantly, so much that there may not be any benefit in switching from coal to gas. In recent years, it has become apparent that methane leaks are far higher than originally thought. Further, no one knows exactly how much methane is leaked in the fracking process to extract the gas. If you think pipelines are safe, go to Wikipedia right now and search "pipeline accidents" or "pipeline explosions".

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• New Hampshire's climate denier's work has powerful new audience: his brother, the Governor

• Methane leaks erase climate benefit of fracked gas, countless studies find

• Methane leaks in natural gas supply chain far exceed estimates, study says

• Natural gas transmission leakage rates

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SOLAR STATE RANKINGS (Where is NH?)

Why are Massachusetts and Vermont in the top 10 ranked solar states, but there's no mention of New Hampshire? We don't have to keep lagging behind other states in making clean energy a priority. (see graphic below)

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SCHOOLS

Massachusetts & Vermont schools have an ever-increasing number of solar panels, wind turbines, rain gardens, rooftop gardens and organic farming. While a number of New Hampshire schools now have solar, our state does little to incentivize and encourage such technology. New Hampshire's Capitol City students get...fracked gas in their schools? This is not only a blatant disregard for their future, but it's also one more reason our youth and young families are leaving the Granite State.

 

Our students need innovation, experiential learning, cutting edge science and real-world skills they can market when looking for jobs. Jobs associated with NH's clean energy boom are everything from engineering, design, R&D & electrical to construction, marketing, media, communications, sales and customer relations with local, national and international markets. Environmental Science and climate education should be required. Undertstanding problems leads to solutions like this smartflower solar array.

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Do you have students in the Concord School District? You may want to read the "Health" section below or read more about pipelines.

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RENEWABLE ENERGY & ENERGY EFFICIENCY IN SCHOOLS (samples, not inclusive)

ARTICLES

Release from Senator Bernie Sanders: Solar In School Funding For Vermont

How A Massachusetts Public School Pioneered Solar Power [with canopy parking]

Brighter Future: A Study on Solar in U.S. Schools

Solar Deal Boon To Schools

VT Schools vie for solar grants

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NEW HAMPSHIRE

East Rochester School (solar)

Tilton School (solar)

Inter Lakes School District (solar - working towards 100% solar powered)

Proctor Academy (solar)

Exeter High School (solar)

 

MASSACHUSETTS

Minuteman HS, MA (rooftop garden)

Beebe School, MA (rain garden)

Narragansett Regional HS, MA (wind turbine)

Plymouth Public School: Solar projects make a lasting impression, Step by step, Plymouth Schools go solar

Arlington schools go solar, produce carbon-free energy

Norton Middle School (solar)

Norwell Middle School (solar)

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VERMONT

Burlington Schools, VT (solar)

Putney School, VT (solar)

Crosset Brook Middle School, VT (solar)

Ripton Elementary School , VT (solar)

Ferrisburg Central School, VT (solar)

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HEALTH

• Methane leaks cannot be seen or smelled. They can only be detected by a FLIR camera. Video sample.

• The use of fossil fuels will accelerate climate change and intensify impacts, leading to more of the conditions that cause asthma. Read this great online brochure from Moms Clean Air Force. 

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List of the Harmed

Too Dirty, Too Dangerous: Why Health Professionals Reject Natural Gas. A report from Physicians for Social Responsibility.

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FRACKED GAS

Allowing the expansion of "natural" fracked gas in New Hampshire will open the door for more pipeline expansion in what is currently a nationwide push. Our use makes us complicit in the dangerous and unhealthy practices causing tainted undrinkable, even flammable water, human illness, cancer and death, constant toxic air conditions, frackquakes and more for those living where fracking is done against their will, and those near pipeline and compressor gas leaks.

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The chemicals used in the fracking process are both known carcinogens and trade secret chemicals that are unknown, even to our government, but are being pumped into the ground and our water and sprayed on crops for human consumption. This puts us all at risk, not knowing which produce has been sprayed with the water.

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Methane is odorless, colorless gas. Emissions from the fracking process, from compressor stations and metering stations can only be seen using a FLIR camera. Gas emissions can be localized at a specific leak and region-wide.

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ABOUT ELECTRICITY RATES & PIPELINES

The reason given for pushing gas pipelines is to reduce electricity rates. What is not usually known is that NH has extremely high transmission rates, which increases our utility costs. Changing to gas will not reduce transmission rates, but will increase costs through other problems associated with pipelines and atmospheric methane. 

 

Two articles from the blog of engineer Patricia Martin explain why our rates are so high, using government data and referring to local news articles. She also recently wrote a letter to the editor of the Keene Sentinel, which is in the articles section at the bottom of this page. She is a member of the Residential Ratepayers Advisory Board and a well-respected voice at the Public Utilities Commission and State House. When numbers are published and used to defend bad decisions for the state, she will scrutinize them and confront errors and misinformation. She has been the leading voice in the movement against the proposed conversion of Concord Steam to fracked gas.

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Wholesale prices are way down. Where are the savings on our electricity rates?

Compare wholesale electricity prices with retail rates 2003-2015

Who is looking out for our interests?

Wholesale electricity prices fell 29% last year

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FAST TRACKING THE PROJECT

Fast tracking the sale of Concord Steam to Liberty Utilities intentionally denied companies like Green City Power the opportunity to offer proposals that would use cleaner energy in our state buildings and schools, and avoid the dangerous use of natural gas. Green City Power was interested in purchasing Concord Steam up until the last moment, when an overwhelming majority of representatives from both parties approved the transition to gas, despite being educated about the false information about gas being a clean energy. Concord Steam was biomass powered, locally-sourced, wood burning co-generation facility that could be been retrofitted and renovated. The majority of New Hampshire's 400 state representatives are senior citizens. They were told by the Concord Steam task force that without the transition to gas, the State House would be cold the following winter.

 

T legislative task force that was been appointed to review what was happening with Concord Steam, enabled legislation for the sale of the easements. They estimated the cost to taxpayers to be $25M. In a presentation ECHO Action received from Green City Power, they estimated the real cost to be closer to $100 when all was completed. The task force was very much in favor of transitioning to fracked gas and is overtly said in public meetings that they would everything possible to push this deal through, and they did. The information below was available to our supporters as we opposed the Concord Steam closure.

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IMPORTANT UPDATE

After refusing solar, and transitioning to natural gas, Concord NH claims to align to the Paris Climate Accord

 

• NH the 5th city to commit to the Paris Climate Agreement

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After refusing to upgrade the Concord Steam biofuel plant, and the conversion of the NH State House, state buildings, Concord School District and the City of Concord to natural (fracked) gas, one of Concord's City Counselors, who is on the Energy and Environment committee and associated with a large statewide environmental organization, put out a press release in September 2017 naming Concord

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• New Hampshire Mayors Pledge to back Climate Accord goals

 

"The Concord city council recently ruled that solar panels on rooftops will not increase the property’s assessed value, slightly lowering the tax money the city would otherwise collect. That move, already made in a number of other municipalities, is designed to help shift some electricity production from traditional power plants.

Donchess also pointed to an online information site called Livable Nashua Dashboard, which provides information about some of the city’s climate-change-related actions and goals including data on electricity production by solar panels in the city, energy usage by city buildings and conservation easements.

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“We want to focus on measurable results, measurable data,” said Sarah Marchant, the city’s director of community development. Data on greenhouse gas emissions will eventually be part of the dashboard, she said.

Wednesday’s hearing was organized by the League of Conservation Voters"

CONCORD STEAM TASK FORCE FORMED
Senate President Chuck Morse (R-Salem) and Speaker Shawn Jasper (R-Hudson) announced the formation of a Task Force to review the options for the State of New Hampshire before Concord Steam ceases operation in May 2017. The Concord Steam Task Force will hold its first public meeting on September 21st at 5:30 PM at the Red River Theatre in Concord. Their final report is due by Thursday, December 1, 2016. Fast tracking this project will limit proposals and options and is not in the best interest of the state, nor the residents of Concord.

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COST TO NH TAXPAYERS

$25 MILLION up front

$12 MILLION to convert infrastructure to gas

$1 MILLION to subsidize some organizations and be recouped through ratepayer fees

$__? for unforeseen expenses

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ALERT! New information indicates the cost may be as high as $100M! 

See the Green City Power proposal linked below (PDF).

 

JOBS LOST

Concord Steam is a biofuel plant that uses NH sourced wood chips from the North Country. It provides jobs in the Granite state for NH residents who process and transport the fuel. These jobs would be lost with a natural gas conversion.

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HEAR RECORDED TESTIMONY FOR & AGAINST HB 368

Representative Lynn Ober's defense of Liberty Utilities and a fracked gas conversion followed by Representative Lee Oxenham's arguments against HB 368 begin at 10:10.

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WHO VOTED FOR IT 

YEAS: Voted for the fracked gas deal with Liberty Utilities at a cost to taxpayers of $25-$100M. ⚑

NAYS: Voted against the fracked gas deal. (pink chart below) ✦

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⚑  If your state representative voted for this deal, email them today. (Details below.)

✦ Only these legislators voted to protect your tax dollars from being spent unnecessarily. Please email them to thank them for their support.

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SOLUTIONS

If the state is unwilling to transform the state's energy needs to renewable sources,​ the Green City Power proposal should be strongly considered as the best option available.

 

• Concord Steam will be upgraded to a low emissions standard.

• There is no-cost to taxpayers as opposed to millions for fracked gas.

• No costly, timely and messy conversions or rented interim boilers are needed.

• The implied rush to decision is well overstated in that a one year transition period with rented boilers is part of the transition to gas.

• Information being published and numbers used are not accurate comparisons using industry standards.

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Green City Power proposed to upgrade the plant to handle the emissions properly and make it more efficient. They would invest $20M and they would offer a 30% decrease in current CS rates. They are not seeking other customers. If awarded the state contract, then would then apply to become a utility. They do not need to do that prior to being considered, as some state representatives are telling citizens who email them.

 

View GCP slideshow (Links below PDFs and more documents are below.)

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WHO IS IMPACTED BY A FRACKED GAS CONVERSION

- NH taxpayers

- NH state workers

- NH forestry industry & workers

- NH products, wildlife, tourism declining from climate change: moose, shrimp, lobster, maple syrup, autumn's maple leaves, sking...

- Anyone who breathes the air

- Parents, Students, Teachers

 

WHO PROFITS FROM THE DEAL

- Liberty Utilities.

- Who else is pocketing & profiting from this deal? Why the rush to push it through?

- Want to delve into this further? There's a link on this page to documents & related emails (near PDFs  below).

 

WHO IS BEING IGNORED

- Green City Power, who has a very reasonable no-cost offer with low emissions that keeps NH jobs.

- Taxpayers who have to pay for a conversion we don't need to increase the profits of the gas industry. Why are our lawmakers so intent on fast tracking this highly questionable deal?

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WHO HAS NOT BEEN FULLY INFORMED OR HAD INFORMATION WITHHELD

- Information from legislators fast-tracking this deal has been limited.

- State representatives have been lead to believe that without this deal, the State House will not have heat next winter, among other misinformation.

- The public has been told this deal has to go through because Concord Steam is closing. There are indications that there has been a deliberate campaign to force their closure and seal the deal for Liberty Utilities to profit from New Hampshire.

- The increase in fracked gas capacity to New Hampshire is about 1%. This capacity is enormous and well beyond our needs. The assumption is that once this door is open, more gas will be pushed into the state.

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Please join us in asking our legislators to stop the sale of Concord Steam to Liberty Utilities, allow Green City Power to give a presentation, to have public input sessions with all the information presented and options for clean, renewable energy proposals to be brought forth so we can #CleanConcordSteam.

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RELATED FILES

Freedom of Information Act: Request regarding Concord Steam

PUC Docket #IR 16-202

Sample Letter for commenting on Docket #DG16-770

Green City Power Presentation: Thermal Evaluation Powerpoint 2/5/17

Responses to constituent emails

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CONCORD STEAM

 

Concord Steam: Last-of-its-kind power plant down to its final days (Concord Monitor) 5/27/17

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Lawmakers approve $2.5M for Concord School's steam conversion (Concord Monitor) 5/19/17

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Developer still interested in purchasing Concord Steam (Concord Monitor 3/4/17

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As Concord Steam shutdown nears, details debated on fund to help customers (Concord Monitor) 2/10/17

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Downtown: Concord coalition backs petition for $1M fund to aid transition from steam (Concord Monitor) 10/16/1/7

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Building owners discuss time crunch associated with Concord Steam’s closing (Concord Monitor) 9/21/16

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Concord Steam Task Force Formed (Concord Patch) 9/16/16

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Union Leader Editorial: Concord’s big steam problem (Concord Monitor) 9/11/16

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Daniel Webster to the rescue? (PatMartin2984 Blog) 9/11/16

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As Concord Steam winds down, plenty of questions pop up  (Concord Monitor) 9/6/16

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Concord Steam closure could force state to pay $15 million to convert to natural gas (Concord Monitor) 8/8/16

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Closing Concord Steam plant, installing gas carries $15 million price tag for state (Union Leader) 8/3/16

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Loggers will miss Concord Steam as a market for wood chips (Concord Monitor) 7/30/16

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Liberty Utilities will take over Concord Steam customers (Union Leader) 7/21/16

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Liberty Utilities to buy Concord Steam; customers must find new source of heat (Concord Monitor) 7/21/16

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Concord Steam to Close Next Year (Concord Patch) 7/21/16

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With a potential buyer, Concord Steam waits for state (Concord Monitor) 3/29/16

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RELATED NEWS

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New Hampshire Climate Denier’s Work Has Powerful New Audience: His Brother, the Governor (DeSmog Blog) 3/5/17

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Wholesale electricity prices fell 29% last year (Concord Monitor 2/27/17

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Who's looking out for our interests? (Letter to the Editor by Patricia Martin) (Keene Sentinel) 2/28/17

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Energy policy a top issue in campaign: Officials raise concerns about future of energy in New England (WMUR) 10/10/16

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My Turn: Abandoning Concord Steam amounts to a gamble on gas

(Concord Monitor) 9/24/16

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Eversource not giving up on pipeline (Union Leader) 9/5/16

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Concord Steam PUC Dockets

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PUC Docket IR 16-202, 2/7/17

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A member directed us to PUC docket IR 16-202 and the transcript from the hearing. Green City Power was introduced, but never spoke about their proposal.  They didn't file any comments either.

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The Fire Marshal made an inspection on Feb 17th, 2015, but didn't get the report to Concord Steam until June.

 

Mike Connors broke the news that the State wouldn't be signing contracts with Concord Steam and neither would the YMCA, County or City.  There appears to have been (or be) a campaign going on to put the Concord Steam out of business.

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[Paraphrased and edited from a member's report.]

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* The PDF of the document she refers to is available on this page.

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Docket DG 16-770 9/5/16

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https://www.puc.nh.gov/Regulatory/Docketbk/2016/16-770.html

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Liberty Utilities (EnergyNorth Natural Gas) Corp. d/b/a Liberty Utilities and Concord Steam Corporation

Joint Petition for Approval of an Asset Purchase Agreement

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View information and comments about Docket DG 16-770, the sale of Concord Steam to Liberty Utilities.

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Concord Steam Hearing

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ECHO Action testimony

 

Concord NH - Legislative Office Building

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Patricia Martin testified sharing missing details of the Green City Power offer to the state of NH for renovation and upgrades to the Concord Steam facility and spoke with some members of the committee explaining that natural (fracked) gas is not a clean fuel. It impacts health, safety and increases methane, a greenhouse gas more potent than CO2, in the atmosphere and increases global warming and climate change.

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Laura Lynch presented the nearly 900 signatures on the petition against the conversion of Concord Steam to fracked gas. (To sign the petition, see link at the top of this page.)

 

Stephanie Scherr testified as a teacher in regards to the expansion of fracked gas pipelines into schools when students in MA & VT have schools with wind turbines, solar panels, rain gardens and organic gardens and the students of NH's Capitol City get fracked gas.

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Doug Whitbeck testified regarding the use and efficiency of heat pumps.

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Others who testified include:

Representative Marge Shepardson

Representative Lee Oxenham

Richard Husband

Father Sam Fuller

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CONCORD STEAM

 

Concord Steam: Last-of-its-kind power plant down to its final days (Concord Monitor) 5/27/17

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Lawmakers approve $2.5M for Concord School's steam conversion (Concord Monitor) 5/19/17

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Developer still interested in purchasing Concord Steam (Concord Monitor 3/4/17

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As Concord Steam shutdown nears, details debated on fund to help customers (Concord Monitor) 2/10/17

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Downtown: Concord coalition backs petition for $1M fund to aid transition from steam (Concord Monitor) 10/16/1/7

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Building owners discuss time crunch associated with Concord Steam’s closing (Concord Monitor) 9/21/16

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Concord Steam Task Force Formed (Concord Patch) 9/16/16

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Union Leader Editorial: Concord’s big steam problem (Concord Monitor) 9/11/16

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Daniel Webster to the rescue? (PatMartin2984 Blog) 9/11/16

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As Concord Steam winds down, plenty of questions pop up  (Concord Monitor) 9/6/16

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Concord Steam closure could force state to pay $15 million to convert to natural gas (Concord Monitor) 8/8/16

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Closing Concord Steam plant, installing gas carries $15 million price tag for state (Union Leader) 8/3/16

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Loggers will miss Concord Steam as a market for wood chips (Concord Monitor) 7/30/16

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Liberty Utilities will take over Concord Steam customers (Union Leader) 7/21/16

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Liberty Utilities to buy Concord Steam; customers must find new source of heat (Concord Monitor) 7/21/16

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Concord Steam to Close Next Year (Concord Patch) 7/21/16

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With a potential buyer, Concord Steam waits for state (Concord Monitor) 3/29/16

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RELATED NEWS

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New Hampshire Climate Denier’s Work Has Powerful New Audience: His Brother, the Governor (DeSmog Blog) 3/5/17

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Wholesale electricity prices fell 29% last year (Concord Monitor 2/27/17

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Who's looking out for our interests? (Letter to the Editor by Patricia Martin) (Keene Sentinel) 2/28/17

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Energy policy a top issue in campaign: Officials raise concerns about future of energy in New England (WMUR) 10/10/16

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My Turn: Abandoning Concord Steam amounts to a gamble on gas

(Concord Monitor) 9/24/16

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Eversource not giving up on pipeline (Union Leader) 9/5/16