For decades, coal has threatened the health of our New England neighborhoods, ecosystems, pocketbooks, and the planet. When the Beyond Coal campaign started, there were 8 operating coal plants in New England. Air pollution from these plants was responsible for an estimated 1,000 asthma attacks, 117 heart attacks, and 64 premature deaths in 2010 when our Beyond Coal campaign began. Each year without coal, these health impacts are avoided.
With the announced retirements of Merrimack and Schiller, New Hampshire joins its five coal-free neighbors, marking the country’s second entirely coal-free region. New England is setting a new path forward for the nation. Our region is leading the charge toward cleaner energy and communities for all.
To secure victory at Merrimack and Schiller, the Sierra Club community and allies engaged in decades of organizing, petition-signing, letter-writing, and docket-filing. The New Hampshire chapter organized hair tests to record mercury contamination, collaborated with partners and residents from Massachusetts to Maine, advocated for the ultimate passage of bipartisan state legislation, and testified at trial. Thanks to this relentless work, an end date to coal in New England is in sight and lives will be saved from coal’s devastating health impacts.
With this closure, we are closer to a new age of cleaner air, healthier communities, and more renewable energy solutions. Reliable clean energy alternatives are readily available in New England. To date, 9.4 GW of wind, solar, and storage have come online across the region.
These solutions – like solar and wind – offer the opportunity to reduce polluting emissions, preserve our treasured ecosystems, lower energy costs for families, and boost local economies with the creation of good, green jobs. Many states have kickstarted the development and deployment of renewable energy sources like solar arrays, offshore wind farms, networked geothermal systems, and battery storage to offset retired coal plants and our pricey, soon-to-be-obsolete regional gas system.
However, it should be noted, there is still coal use and storage in Maine, and it must end. We will continue to work with local activists to ensure an end to polluting fuels in Maine.