Community power adds renewable options

In 2017, a record number of Hanover residents showed up at Town Meeting and voted unanimously in support of using 100% renewable electricity by 2030 followed by 100% renewable heating, cooling and transportation by 2050.

Since then, the Town has installed enough local solar to offset nearly 100% of the electricity it consumes. In addition, nearly 300 homes are accessing locally sourced solar. Dartmouth College and many of our businesses, nonprofits and churches are all advancing toward these goals.

Still, most consumers use the electric supply offered by their utility, regardless of price or renewable energy content. This is about to change.

Signed into law in 2019, NH RSA 53-E allows communities to aggregate, or bundle, the local demand for electricity and buy supply to meet that demand. This is called community power and it’s rolling out this spring in Hanover and the other Upper Valley towns of Enfield, Lebanon and Plainfield.

Customers currently getting their supply of electricity through Liberty or Eversource will be automatically enrolled into a community power plan offering electricity that is at least as renewable and less expensive than what is available through their utility. In addition, they will be able to choose options that are increasingly renewable — from 23.4% to 33%, 50%, and, yes, 100% renewable. Their utility will continue to deliver power, care for transmission lines, and send monthly bills.

Community power is the answer for the many consumers wanting to access more renewable electricity but, for any number of reasons, cannot currently do so. On behalf of Sustainable Hanover, I urge all consumers to select the option with the highest level of renewables that they can afford.

For more information and answers to frequently asked questions, go to sustainablehanovernh.org/communitypower.

Judi Colla

co-chair, Sustainable Hanover

Trump grand jury foreperson should’ve stayed in the background

While living in Boston a few years ago, I was privileged to serve for more than four months on the grand jury and further honored to be chosen foreperson. We heard evidence for cases ranging from minor drug infractions up to alleged murders — some quite horrifying. We were sworn to secrecy and for good reasons. Names of people came before us who will never know that their names were mentioned in our drab jury room, because the jury determined they should not be indicted.

I am truly horrified by the publicity tour by Emily Kohrs, who served as foreperson on the Atlanta based grand jury investigating former President Trump, et al. Perhaps her oath did not include secrecy to the extent we swore to in Boston, and that would be most unfortunate.

By enjoying her “15 minutes of fame” Ms. Kohrs, practically giggling over meeting the famous people giving testimony, has obviously complicated the case for prosecutors going forward. Ms. Kohrs would have better served her jury, her state, her oath and the American people had she gone home, and jumped up and down like a teenager after being asked to the prom.

Any grand jury, regular or special, calls upon the justice system, especially our citizen jurors, to treat the proceedings with dignity and gravitas, as the grand jury is the gateway to our judicial system and should be treated with the respect previously earned by the thousands of juror and forepersons who came in a long line before Ms Kohrs.

We can hope that no harm comes from her ill-conceived interviews.

Karen Blum

Grantham

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