Court rules for PSNH

David Brooks reports in the Nashua Telegraph on the Supreme Court's decision siding with PSNH and against those looking to block pollution controls in Bow.

The last-ditch effort to halt the construction of a $450 million scrubber system at New Hampshire's largest coal-fired power plant has been tossed out by the state Supreme Court.

In a ruling released Wednesday, the court said that opponents of the plan had no legal standing to block a Public Utilities Commission decision allowing the construction to go forward.

PSNH is building a huge "scrubber" and associated processing buildings at the 473-megawatt Merrimack Station plant in Bow, one the state's largest power plants. The scrubber will remove most mercury and sulfur – both serious pollutants – from the power plant's emissions. The scrubber was required by state law. (more)

Mercury reductions drive up electric rates

As I, and 300,000 of my closest friends wait for PSNH to restore power following the ice storm , Tom Fahey reports in the Union Leader that a ratepayers' group is going back to court to get out from under recent environmental regulations that are driving rates higher than anticipated:

A group of commercial ratepayers filed a state Supreme Court appeal yesterday aimed at requiring the Public Utilities Commission to review the cost of mercury reduction equipment at the state's largest coal-fired power plant.

The work at Public Service of New Hampshire's plant in Bow was supposed to cost $250 million when a law mandating it passed in 2007. Since then the price has nearly doubled, to $457 million. When finished, the work will cut mercury emissions by 80 percent.