As the Year Comes to a Close, Some Good News!
Well folks, despite the terrible news on the national and international fronts, we have some positive developments from the past year to share when it comes to the Seacoast region. Whether it involves our local nuclear plant, our region’s most promising future power source, or a major milestone in the toxic history of the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard, this year saw some significant changes to the status quo that presage a safer and sustainable future for our region.
And if you’d like to help further progress on these fronts – and this is the only time we ask all year – we need your support as this year comes to a close and a challenging new one begins.
Seabrook Gets Sued!
Just before the Thanksgiving holiday, news broke that Seabrook’s owner NextEra is being sued by power grid competitor – and Gulf of Maine offshore wind lease holder (see next story below) – Avangrid. Seems they got fed up with NextEra for its monopoly of access to our region’s power grid and active opposition to changes, particularly its sabotage of Avangrid’s effort to build a new power line in Maine and unwillingness to upgrade its circuit breaker at Seabrook. Avangrid is suing for $350 million in damages due to NexEra-instigated delays in their power line project.
The breaker upgrade was necessary for transmitting additions to the regional grid – such as Avangrid’s “NE Clean Energy Connect” power line from Canada through Maine and NH – as well as maintaining power to the plant in the event power grid disruptions. NextEra only consented to the upgrade after a 2-year delay, and after Avangrid offered to pay for it. See an extensive story on Seacoastonline, as well as coverage from InDepthNH and by other NH media for further details.
NextEra’s recent behavior certainly doesn’t provide encouragement for getting an offshore wind power line connection at Seabrook, or perhaps anywhere north of Boston. And considering that practically none of Seabrook’s power directly benefits NH ratepayers (see NH Utilities item below), their attitude is all the more galling. We can only hope that a successful lawsuit and financial penalty might change their tune and help lead to a safer, sustainable and more accessible power grid.
Gulf of Maine Offshore Wind Leases Sold!
At the end of October, federal officials at the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) held the first offshore wind lease auction for the Gulf of Maine, leasing four areas of almost a half-million acres total, and netting $22 million for the federal treasury. If fully developed, these areas will be able to generate about 6 gigawatts of power – about 5 Seabrook plants worth – and more capacity than NH and Maine currently use at “peak” power demand.
Designated lease areas for auction (in green) in the Gulf of Maine. The four areas closest to shore (0562 in the north/off Maine, as well as 0564, 0567 and 0568 off Cape Cod) were sold to Invenergy Offshore Wind and Avangrid Renewables. The other areas remain for future auction.
Unfortunately for NH, only our neighboring states have set future goals for offshore wind power from the Gulf (3 GW for Maine, and 10 GW for MA), though Seabrook and perhaps Portsmouth remain among likely “onshoring” locations for power lines from these lease areas.
It will still be 7-10 years before potential wind farms are completed, and BOEM intends to hold another lease auction for the region in 2028, but we’re off to a good start! See the BOEM Gulf of Maine website for more details.
WHAT YOU CAN DO
Contact your state legislators and Governor-elect Ayotte in Concord, and urge them to support “procurement” of offshore wind by state utilities – as other NE coastal states have already done – as well as strengthening, not weakening of the state’s renewable standards (currently by far the weakest of all NE states).
NH Utilities Go Nuke-free!
Despite Seabrook’s owners and supporters continually boasting that the plant provides the majority of power generation in NH, the “disclosure label” sent to ratepayers last September shows that in 2023 (the most recent data available) our largest power suppliers in NH (Eversource, Electric Co-op, CPCNH) purchased ZERO nuclear power from the NE grid.
Excerpt from Eversource NH 2024 Disclosure Label, with nuclear resources listed by light orange box
This stunning turn of events – especially for Eversource, of which in a previous incarnation BUILT Seabrook – is likely the result of other NE states increasingly encouraging nuclear power reliance as a “clean/carbon-free” (Not!) energy source. Ironically, NH authorities, being loath to dictate how corporations do their business in NH, have yet to put any such requirements (see action item above) on our utitlity providers. So here’s to a “nuke-free” New Hampshire!
Shipyard Toxics “Clean-Up” Completed
Last March, the US Navy held a formal “de-listing” ceremony for the toxic waste “Superfund” listed sites at the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard in Kittery. As SAPL was involved in this multi-decade effort from the get-go, and SAPL Director Doug Bogen had been co-chairing the citizen advisory group for the program for that entire time, he was invited to provide remarks on the occasion. Below are some excerpts from his speech, subsequently published as an op-ed in the Portsmouth Herald.
Shipyard History, Future Worth Another Look
In my role as Restoration Advisory Board Co-Chair for the entire twenty-eight year timeframe of the “Superfund” toxic waste mitigation at the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard, I have had the unique opportunity to observe and share my perspective over the decades. When we began our citizen oversight in 1995, we knew there was a daunting task before the Navy and relevant state and federal agencies, but of course we had no idea how many decades the project would take to complete…..
To better understand what an accomplishment this event signifies, it’s worth looking back at how we got here – how challenging the toxic waste legacy at the Shipyard appeared in the decade prior to its Superfund listing and ensuing remedial actions. Early assessments documented that Shipyard workers had been disposing of huge quantities of toxic chemicals and other waste materials as well as contaminated dredge spoils in the now-filled mudflats between Seavey Island proper and Jamaica Island to the east… Offshore sampling found elevated levels of PCBs and heavy metals in lobsters, shellfish algae and sediments, to the point that warnings against lobster and shellfish consumption were issued by state health officials….
Yet despite this record, the Navy continued to drag its feet on addressing the problem, to the point of being sued by the State of Maine over hazardous waste mismanagement as well as resisting including the Shipyard on the Superfund list….
Since the onset of the restoration program at the Shipyard, we saw great efforts to measure and monitor onsite and offshore toxic contamination, and many tons of the worst contaminated soil and debris were removed offsite. [But] the decision to leave the vast majority of the deposited waste onsite means that “waste isolation” from the surrounding environment is the more appropriate term than “clean up” for the “remedy” at these sites. We can only hope that these wastes remain isolated as seas rise and storms become more intense in coming decades due to increasing climate disruption…
This de-listing is a huge accomplishment, but the process doesn’t end here. The Navy will need to watch for environmental changes, and maintain land use restrictions in perpetuity…. I urge the Navy to make the Shipyard more sustainable and resilient in the face of unfolding climate disruption, and to play a greater role in achieving sustainability for the Seacoast region. Most notably, the Shipyard’s location and existing facilities would be ideal for playing a role in the development of offshore wind in the Gulf of Maine… A now-safer Seavey Island and greater recognition of the national security threat of the climate crisis could bring a new and timely mission for our region’s proud naval heritage.
Please Help Support SAPL with a Donation
We still have much to do in securing a safe and sustainable energy future for New Hampshire and neighboring states. Please help us to keep promoting alternatives to continued reliance on life-threatening nuclear technology, by becoming a financial supporter.
We will continue to press these and related issues with state and local officials – but only with your generous support. As a reminder, SAPL is a 501(c)3 organization, so you can deduct all donations for tax purposes.
DONATE ONLINEOr donate by mail:
Seacoast Anti-Pollution League
PO BOX 1136
Portsmouth, NH 03802