Air Resources Council member asked to step down

Goffstown Editor — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 19:51:00 GMT

A group challenging the installation of a turbine at Public Service of New Hampshire’s Merrimack Transfer Station has called for a board member overseeing the case to step down.

The Sierra Club said Raymond Donald, the acting chairman of the Air Resources Council, was a former employee of the Seabrook Station nuclear power plant, which was partially owned by PSNH.

“We found out through a financial disclosure form that Ray Donald had a relationship with Seabrook Station, so we filed a motion to disqualify him,” said Cathy Corkery, chapter director of the New Hampshire Sierra Club. “We reminded PSNH lawyers they have a responsibility of candor.”

The Merrimack Transfer Station is undergoing a $457 million overhaul. The project upset residents in nearby Pembroke when a 445-foot tower, also known as a scrubber, was constructed last summer with little notification to residents. PSNH defended the allegation, saying it contacted all the town boards required.

The Sierra Club said it’s concerned that the new turbine could release more pollutants that allowed under law, alleging that it was built without proper permits.

Corkery says the discovery of Donald’s former employer was made last week.

“We do not have confidence in the council’s ability to hear this fairly,” she said.

A decision on the issue could be made at some point this week.

Power plant upgrade may get second look

Goffstown Editor — Wed, 14 Jan 2009 21:41:00 GMT

BY MATT SCHOOLEY

Sen. Harold Janeway has filed a bill that he hopes will force the Public Utilities Commission to review a planned upgrade on PSNH’s Bow coal power plant.

Janeway filed the bill on Monday, Jan. 12, hours before the 4 p.m. deadline, and will now look to overturn the PUC’s decision that it would not look into the project because lawmakers already decided it was in the best interest of the state.

The $457 million upgrade includes a scrubber that is designed to cut emissions of mercury after the Legislature mandated the environmental regulation in 2006.

However, since regulation was passed, the cost of the project has increased significantly, one of the reasons behind Janeway’s bill.

“The investment deserves careful analysis,” said Janeway. “So much has changed in the energy and utility area in the past two or three years and the cost of the project has roughly doubled since that action was taken.”

Janeway also said the state is at a crossroads between the old way that the industry operated and the new way, and it is time to look closely at the use of fossil fuels.

“It doesn’t seem sensible to me to commit to a $450 million investment based on what was common knowledge when the bill was passed,” said Janeway. “You wouldn’t do that when you make other investments, you consider all the conditions that prevail.”

The upgrade would be paid for by ratepayers, and recently a group of businesses that had asked the PUC to look at the project filed an appeal with the Supreme Court.

With the bill filed, Janeway knows he has work ahead of him.

“I can’t predict the outcome,” said Janeway. “There’s a lot of persuading to be done because it’s revisiting something a lot of people would prefer not be revisited. We have an obligation to give it another go and go over it again.”

If the bill passes, Janeway said he doesn’t want the review to take up years and resources, but a quick-paced, thorough review. In the end, Janeway hopes to find a solution best for both sides.

“We want to end up with something fair and right to the company, and to the stakeholders,” said Janeway.

Bow News : PSNH

Air Resources Council member asked to step down

Power plant upgrade may get second look