On Air News Read for October 13, 2017

The Bedford Town Clerk has been having trouble with the state’s new motor vehicle system.  The database went down yesterday and while it did come back on line, town officials say the connection hasn’t been reliable.  They suggest you call ahead to make sure all is well beforehand.  The number’s 4 7 2 5 2 4 2.

The city of Manchester announced yesterday that it is holding a Household Hazardous Waste Collection Event tomorrow from 9 AM to 2 PM, at the Dunbarton Road Drop Off Facility.  This is an opportunity for Manchester residents to dispose of household hazardous wastes safely, legally and free.  We have the link to all the info you need to know what you can bring and what you can’t with this news read at Girard at Large dot com.

Responding to the dramatic increase in opioid overdoses locally and deaths statewide, the town of Derry is offering life safety training to the public.  According to data collected by the Derry Fire Department, there have been 220 suspected opioid overdoses in town since January, 2015.  

Led by Derry firefighters, information on substance misuse, treatment and Naloxone administration will be offered starting at seven on the evening of Wednesday, October twenty fifth at West Running Brook Middle School.  This free training is open to the public and no personal information will be collected.   In addition to the training, there will be valuable information on local substance abuse prevention, treatment and recovery resources.

Former Manchester Police Chief David Mara, now the governor’s Advisor on Addiction and Behavioral Health, will discuss what the state  is doing to combat the opioid crisis.  Local agencies partnering to organize the training include:

• Center for Life Management,
• Parkland Medical Center,
• Community Alliance for Teen Safety,
• Addiction Recovery Services,
• Granite Recovery Centers,
• Granite Pathways,
• Derry Friendship Center,
• The Upper Room,
• Derry Fire Department,
• Professional Firefighters of Derry,  
• Greater Derry Community Health Services and
• South Central Public Health Network.

We have the Web and phone contact information for those looking for more with this news read at Girard at Large dot com.  Please visit http://southcentralphn.org/ or contact Kate McDonald, Substance Misuse Prevention Coordinator for the SCPHN at 603-505-7216.

News from our own backyard continues after this.

As a result of the proposed sale of the company’s power plants, Eversource says customers will realize the benefits of the comprehensive restructuring and rate stabilization agreement created in 2 0 1 5.  In a filing with the New Hampshire Public Utilities Commission, Eversource outlined the details of the agreements to sell its power plants by late December or early 2 0 1 8.  This change in ownership will mark the completion of electric deregulation in the state.

Eversource’s three large fossil fuel generation facilities and two remote combustion turbines will be purchased by Granite Shore Power L L C, a newly-formed 50-50 partnership between Atlas Holdings of Greenwich, CT and Castleton Commodities International of Stamford, CT for one hundred seventy five million dollars.  The company’s nine hydroelectric facilities will be acquired by Hull Street Energy, L L C and affiliates, an electric industry-focused private equity firm based in Bethesda, MD, for eighty three million dollars.

As part of the proposed purchase agreements, the new owners will keep the plants in service for at least eighteen months, and must honor the comprehensive employee benefits package established by Eversource and the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers.  Eversource will also provide three years of tax stabilization payments to communities to the extent a power plant is sold for less than its assessed value.

Eversource says customers will benefit from its agreement to forgo recovery of twenty five million dollars related to the four hundred fifty million dollar scrubber they were forced to install at the power plant in Bow.  The rest of the stranded costs will be financed using securitization bonds.  In addition, Eversource agreed to provide five million dollars from its shareholders to establish a Clean Energy Fund.

State senators Jeb Bradley, Republican from-Wolfeboro, and Dan Feltes, Democrat from Concord, who engineered the state legislation that led to this sale, issued a joint statement saying, quote:

“At this time, all signs continue to indicate there will be well over $300 million in overall ratepayer savings the first five years after closing, including a rate design reasonably protecting those who left Eversource’s default service.”

We’ve linked to Eversource’s questions and answers Web page for those wanting more info.  Power Plant Sale – Questions and Answers

Governor Christopher Sununu has asked House Speaker Shawn Jasper, Republican from Hudson, to be the state’s next Commissioner of the Department of Agriculture, Markets and Food.  Sununu said Jasper had been, quote “immersed in New Hampshire’s vibrant agricultural community for his entire life,” by virtue of his family’s poultry business and his involvement as a lifelong member of the Future Farmers of America Alumni Association.  Sununu said he could think of “no better choice” to lead the department.

Jasper said he was “extremely honored” that Sununu asked him to submit his name, adding that while he’d not sought the position it was quote:

“the only position for which I would even consider stepping down as the Speaker of the House.” 

He thanked the constituents that have elected him to twelve terms in the House and declared quote: 

“These are crucial times for  agriculture  in our state and we must continue to do all we can to protect agriculture, commerce, consumers and the environment as we move ahead.”

That’s NEWS from our own backyard!  Girard at Large hour ___ is next!