Utility players: Dangerous regulations

The Union Leader editorializes against a pair of bills that is sees as legislative micromanagement of Public Service Company of New Hampshire:

In 2006, the state required Public Service of New Hampshire to install a mercury scrubber at its Merrimack Station coal-burning power plant in Bow. The law did not cap the price of the project. In the meantime, the estimated cost has risen from $250 million to $457 million. House Bill 496 would cap the amount of PSNH ratepayer dollars that could go to the scrubber project at $250 million.
This makes zero sense. It would scrap the project, which would put the plant out of compliance with emissions regulations, which would force the plant's closure. PSNH would then have to buy power on the market, costing ratepayers much more than the scrubber would cost.