CONCORD - Gov. Jeanne Shaheen, joined by environmentalists, public health advocates and legislators, today announced an aggressive first-in-the-nation Clean Power Strategy that will push New Hampshire's three fossil-fuel power plants to make major reductions in the amount of pollution they emit.

"Today, we are taking the next important step in cleaning up our environment, by tackling one of the biggest remaining sources of pollution, fossil-fuel power plants. I am committed to protecting the health of our citizens and the health of our environment by cleaning up New Hampshire's power supply and dramatically reducing the amount of pollution emitted by our aging fossil-fuel power plants," Gov. Shaheen said.

At Gov. Shaheen's direction, the Department of Environmental Services developed a comprehensive Clean Power Strategy, which will make New Hampshire the first state in the nation to adopt an aggressive strategy to reduce the emission of multiple pollutants by fossil-fuel power plants.

Under the New Hampshire Clean Power Strategy, the state's three fossil-fuel power plants, Merrimack Station in Bow, Newington Station in Newington and Shiller Station in Portsmouth will have a five-year window to reduce their emissions of sulfur dioxide, the chief cause of acid rain, by 75 percent; nitrogen oxides, the chief cause of ozone smog, by

70 percent; mercury, which poses a danger to human health and wildlife, by 75 percent; and carbon dioxide, which is a chief cause of the "greenhouse" effect, by 7 percent below 1990 levels.

To meet these aggressive goals, New Hampshire will employ proven national market-based strategies for cost effectively reducing pollution.

Under the New Hampshire Clean Power strategy, owners of New Hampshire's three fossil fuel burning power plants will be required to meet reduced emissions targets either by using new technology to reduce emissions, purchasing emissions credits, or through a combination of the two.

It is important to put this strategy into effect now before Public Service Company of New Hampshire's fossil-fuel power plants are sold. The Clean Power Strategy will allow potential bidders to know beforehand how much they will have to invest in cleaning up the power plants.

"New Hampshire is taking the lead on this issue nationally, and I urge other states to follow our example. The emissions of Midwest power plants are traveling down wind and damaging our air quality here in New Hampshire. I will continue to pursue our lawsuit against upwind polluters to make sure New Hampshire has the cleanest air possible," Gov. Shaheen said. "But if we want other states and power plants to work with us, we must be the model, and by implementing this strategy we will be."

The New Hampshire Clean Power Strategy has attracted bipartisan support. Gov. Shaheen was joined today by legislators, from both parties, who have agreed to sponsor the New Hampshire Clean Power Act, legislation to implement the strategy.

Rep. Jeb Bradley, chair of the House Science, Technology and Energy Committee, will be the bill's prime sponsor.

"It is crucial that we further reduce the pollution emitted by New Hampshire's three fossil-fuel power plants. But we must do so in a way that does not unduly increase costs and ensures diversity in New Hampshire's energy supplies," said Rep. Bradley. "The New Hampshire Clean Power Act achieves these goals."

Also planning to sponsor the legislation are Representatives Naida Kaen, Terie Norelli and Don White, and Senators Burt Cohen, Carl Johnson, Clifton Below and Sylvia Larsen.

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The New Hampshire Clean Power Act
The New Hampshire Clean Power Strategy