Published: 9/30/2019 1:41:01 PM
The owner of Merrimack Station is decrying Saturday’s protests that led to 67 arrests at the Bow power plant in what may be the largest environmental action in New Hampshire since anti-Seabrook protests four decades ago.
A total of 67 people were arrested for trespassing on the station’s property, between River Road and the Merrimack River.
They were part of more than 200 people turned out for the Saturday rally, which called for the plant to be shut down. Merrimack Station is the largest coal-fired power plant in New England that has not scheduled a closure date.
The protest came at the end of a week of climate demonstrations around the world calling for governments to do more to reduce carbon emissions. It was organized by nonprofits such as 350 New Hampshire, Rights and Democracy, New Hampshire Youth Movement and Climate Disobedience.
In a statement, Granite Shore Power said, “We respect and support the right of any person to express his or her views. Unfortunately, today’s protest and trespassing was more about making a scene and breaking the law than about conveying an informed point of view.”
Granite Shore Power is an investment company that bought the plant from Eversource two years ago.
State police and some local departments sent offices, some in riot gear, to monitor the action. Most of those arrested walked along the PanAm railroad tracks that are used to bring coal to the site, according to news reports. They face class B misdemeanor charges for trespassing on posted property.
No injuries or damages to property were reported.