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Hello Friends,
In January, the Concord Energy and Environment Committee (EEAC) made a recommendation to City Council to adopt Community Power by joining the Community Power Coalition of NH (report here). The Community Power initiative holds immense potential for Concord, offering a direct pathway towards sustainability, affordability, and local control over our energy resources. We need YOUR help to urge City Council to vote YES on March 11th, 2024 (7pm City Chambers).
Take Action Today:
1. Email City Council and the City Clerk
We’ve included an email template BELOW and City Council emails below to get you started. We encourage you to share your concerns, experiences, and hopes for a greener Concord.
2. Write a Letter to the Editor
Draft a short (250 words, max) letter to the Concord Monitor expressing your support for the EEAC’s recommendation to adopt Community Power.Â
3. Spread the Word
Send an email out to at least 20 of your Concord friends and urge them to write City Council and include this link to our email template.Â
4. Share on Social Media
Share this post on social media, engage with your local representatives online, and encourage others to join the conversation. The more voices, the stronger the message.
5. Show up and Testify on March 11th at 7pm
Be heard by City Council on March 11th at 7pm City Chambers. RSVP here to let us know you’re coming and to receive an email reminder the day before!
Need more info?
Email Template to City Council:
Let City Council know how you stand on Community Power! For your convenience, we created an email template and a list City Council and the City Clerk's email addresses to cut and paste below:
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chamby@comcast.net, Nfennessy@concordnh.gov, Agradysexton@concordnh.gov, Fkeach@concordnh.gov, Jkurtz@concordnh.gov, Brenttoddconcord@gmail.com, mhorne@concordnh.gov, Jkretovic@concordnh.gov, Kmcnamaraward4@gmail.com, Sfbrown@concordnh.gov, Pwmclaughlin24@gmail.com, Jim4concord@gmail.com, Asekou@concordnh.gov, Kschultz@concordnh.gov, Jfoote@concordnh.gov, cityclerk@concordnh.gov
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Subject: Please Vote YESÂ to Launch Community Power
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Dear [City Councilor's Name],
I hope this email finds you well. My name is [Your Name], and I am one of your constituents in [your ward]. I was very pleased to learn of the Environment and Energy Advisory Committee’s (EEAC) recommendation to the council to enroll in community power and join the Community Power Coalition of NH (the Coalition). I am writing to urge you to vote in support of their recommendations and to join the Coalition on March 11th.Â
As the EEAC found in the past six months of research, the Community Power Coalition of NH has been instrumental in the launch of municipal electric aggregation across the state and has consistently outperformed the rates offered by the utilities and the brokers. By joining the Coalition Concord can tap into a wealth of resources, expertise, and collaborative efforts that will reduce the burden of high energy costs for our residents, and help us transition towards a more sustainable and environmentally friendly energy system as is envisioned in the City’s goal adopted in July 2018 that 100% of electricity consumed in the City will come from renewable energy sources by 2030.
[[Choose from some of the reasons below]]
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1. Economic Benefits:
The Coalition actively works towards securing affordable and stable energy prices for its members. By leveraging collective bargaining power, Concord can ensure cost-effective energy service that benefits both residents and local businesses. The Coalition has already shown it can beat even the most aggressive utility pricing and has beaten for-profit brokers’ prices for the past two rate periods. If Concord had launched with part of the first wave of community power communities, it would have already saved its residents more than $6 million in lower electric bills over this past year. In addition, the Coalition model builds a financial reserve earmarked for each municipality to help even out future cost fluctuations and eventually to be used by each city or town for energy investments.
2. Renewable Energy Initiatives:
The Coalition is at the forefront of advocating for and implementing renewable energy projects. Joining the Coalition will create a way to complete community-scale renewable energy projects that will reduce the electric bills of all residents. This will increase access to renewable energy, which has previously been largely confined to wealthy homeowners. The Coalition is also dedicated to creating innovative rates that will encourage battery storage and other technological solutions to managing our electric demand. The Coalition offers power options that are 24.3%, 33%, 50% and 100% renewable energy and their rates for the 33% renewable option have been LOWER than the Public utility’s 24.3% renewable baseline. The Coalition is the pathway to meeting our energy goals.
3. Community Engagement:
Joining the Coalition fosters community engagement and education on sustainable practices. This will create a more informed and environmentally conscious citizenry, who will become more engaged in the delivery of clean power, paving the way for a greener and more resilient future for Concord. The role of a Concord representative on the Coalition also allows the city to participate in the governance of the Coalition, which is far more engagement than we have in our relationship with the utilities, which is purely transactional.Â
 4. Local Control:
Membership in the Coalition provides Concord with increased control over our energy choices compared to purchasing from Eversource or UNITIL or being locked into a long broker-contract. It allows us to develop and implement localized, community-driven energy plans that align with our unique needs and values. You may have heard that the City would sacrifice its autonomy by being part of a Coalition, but we know that if the City wants to have a say in how the coalition is governed, our representative will have ample opportunity to serve on committees and exert influence in the decision making of the Coalition. Having only one vote in the collective decision making of the Coalition is  a small tradeoff for the dramatically better performance the Coalition has demonstrated. The risk of joining the Coalition is low: municipalities can withdraw from the coalition at any time if they are unhappy. In the broker model, municipalities have to ride out the multiyear contract and then renegotiate.
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I understand that decisions of this nature require careful consideration, and I appreciate the work you do on behalf of our city. I believe that joining the Community Power Coalition of NH is a positive step towards a more sustainable and resilient future for Concord.
I am more than willing to discuss this matter further or provide any additional information that may be helpful in your decision-making process. Thank you for your time and dedication to the well-being of our community.
Sincerely,
[Your Full Name]
[Your Contact Information]Â
The time for this has come for Community Power! Please help get Community Power over the finish line!
Gratefully,
The Greenspace team
We're hosting two more sessions of the Looking @ Loudon Road: Community Listening Session !
Please join us to share your thoughts, concerns and ideas on safety, livability, and economic development along the Loudon Road corridor. Â We invited City Council. Â All are welcome!
