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The Nuclear Regulatory Commission is currently studying the application of the Seabrook Nuclear Power Plant in New Hampshire.

Seabrook NH Nuclear Power Plant - Courtesy Photo

Owned by NextEra Energy based in Florida, one of the newest such plants in the country is currently licensed to operate until 2020. But the owners have filed an application to operate the plant until 2050.  Anti-Nuclear Groups, including the New Hampshire Seacoast Anti-Pollution League, have opposed the application.  The long time opponents of the 1100 Megawatt reactor contend that alternative energy sources including wind and solar power could more safely produce electricity by the middle of the century.  That is something the industry opposes.  Even though the Nuclear Regulatory Commission’s Atomic Safety and Licensing Board has approved the groups’ right to a hearing on the issues that concern them, the NRC over-ruled that approval, based on an appeal by NextEra Energy.  Now, the groups have filed an appeal against that ruling to Boston Federal District Court.  In my interview with Doug Bogen of the SAPL, he explains why the groups want that NRC decision overturned.

Doug Bogen - From Linked-In

Plant owners contend that no alternative technology will be capable of providing the electricity needed for the region that Nuclear Energy produces.  You can hear my interview by clicking on the listen arrow above or the download link below.  There is also an attached video of Bogen at a recent meeting explaining his group’s concerns in light of the Fukushima Nuclear Plant disaster in Japan.

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One bridge between the two states is already gone, demolished to make way for a new one to be completed next year.  Now, the Sarah Mildred Long Bridge between Portsmouth and Kittery Maine is in such bad shape, that it is slated for replacement.

Workers inspecting the Sarah Long Bridge - Courtesy Photo of NH D.O.T.

New Hampshire and Maine have agreed to cooperate on replacement of the bridge, but there are a lot of issues to be dealt with.  In my interview with Ted Talbot of the Maine Department of Transportation, we explore the plan to build a new bridge, at a cost of $172 million dollars. You can listen to my report by clicking on the listen button above or the download link below.

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Mitt Romney, who is heavily favored to win the Republican Presidential nomination at the G.O.P. convention in Florida this summer, returned to the state where he first announced his political intentions.  He’s been back to New Hampshire, the state where he scored his first primary victory, on several occasions.  This time,  he campaigned in Portsmouth, where he met with fishermen, who have been severely restricted by Federal regulations that limit their catch of certain endangered species.

NH Senator Kelly Ayotte, left, with Mitt Romney in Portsmouth, NH - Photo by Roger Wood

He was accompanied by New Hampshire U.S. Senator Kelly Ayotte, a first term Senator who is said to be on a list that Romney is considering for a running mate.  I covered this latest event, and you can listen to my report by clicking on the arrow above or the download link below.

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It was a very warm, April Saturday when my wife Elaine and I joined several dozen others on a hiking tour of the 66 acre site that is adjacent to a busy downtown and a now-closed and capped dump.

Front left and right, Naturalist Davis Finch and resident Dick Adams - Photo by Roger Wood

The Sagamore Land in Portsmouth, New Hampshire, narrowly escaped development by the city, which owns it.  Preservationists want to keep it that way, so they conduct these hikes to draw attention to the natural beauty of the area.  You can listen to my audio report by clicking on the play arrow above or download link below.

Hikers on the Sagamore Land Trail - Photo by Roger Wood

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Environmentalists are pressing their case for more stringent checks of coal-burning plants by the Environmental Protection Agency.  Portland Maine Sierra Club Executive Director Glen Brand says that the state group is now focusing its efforts on cleaning up Sulfur Dioxide emissions from the Schiller Power Plant, located across the Piscataqua River in Portsmouth, New Hampshire.

Emily Bowers left and John Demos with Schiller Plant in the background

Brand says that there are few active coal-burning plants left in this country, and some have already been dealt with by the EPA.  I spoke to Brand and others in nearby Eliot, Maine, at a spot overlooking the power plant.  You can hear my report by clicking on the listen arrow above or the download link below.

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The small New Hampshire Seacoast region town of Greenland has been stunned by the death of its police chief, Michael Maloney.

Greenland NH Town Hall - Photo by Roger Wood

The 48 year old veteran of the police force was killed when he accompanied a State Drug Task force trying to search a home in Town. Four other officers in the task force were wounded but are expected to survive.  I extensively covered the tragedy, speaking to the State’s Attorney General, Town officials, residents and business people.

Flags at Half Staff in Greenland, NH - Photo by Roger Wood

You can hear my story by clicking on the listen arrow above or the download link below.

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Lead: Bicyclists now have been officially banned from using any bridge to cross from Portsmouth to Kittery, Maine. Organized bicycle groups sought permission to use the Sarah Long, or Middle Bridge to cross the border.

Sarah Long Bridge between New Hampshire and Maine

But the Maine Department of Transportation has ruled that out, saying that the bridge railings are too rusted out. Instead, crews will be installing metal barriers to protect motorists from hitting them. That work will result in a bridge too narrow to accommodate bikes. Josh Pierce, President of the Seacoast Area Bicycle Routes group, says he’s not surprised at the ruling. He also says that many bike tour groups will probably bypass the region.  I spoke to him and you can hear the interview by clicking on the listen arrow above or download link below.

(Pierce) :13

“If I didn’t live here, I wouldn’t come here to ride a bike through New and Maine this year or next, I would go somewhere else. And I’m sure that a lot of people will change their plans because of it.”

Pierce says that the two states will see a negative effect from the decision, since bike riders spend money on rooms and meals, generating tax revenue. The Memorial Bridge, which was the only route open to bicyclists, isn’t slated for reconstruction until July of 2013.

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After years of debate about the future of a majestic European Copper Tree, and a community uproar over its removal, a crew equipped with a crane, cherry picker, chain saws, and other equipment swarmed over the tree and cut it down, section by section.  To many in the city of Portsmouth, New Hampshire, the 90 year old tree was a symbol of nature’s beauty.  But to the Congregation of the South Unitarian Universalist Church of Portsmouth, it was a menace, with a large root system that was upending the stone steps and intruding into the foundation walls.  I was there to witness the removal, piece by piece of the historic tree, and talk with some of the people involved in its past, present and future.  You can listen to my report by clicking on the arrow above or download link below. I’ve included some video shot at the scene.

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It’s common knowledge that the non-profit Habitat for Humanity helps families who don’t qualify for traditional mortgages buy their own homes.  The program has been operating for decades, and has won critical acclaim for its policy of no interest, one percent down financing on affordable houses and condos.  In return, the new homeowners invest time and energy, or “sweat equity” in their new abodes, or help the organization build more new homes, or in their ReStores as volunteers.  ReStores resemble traditional Lowes or Home Depots, with lighting,  furniture and building supplies inside.

Inside a ReStore in New Hampshire - Photo by Roger Wood

But all the merchandise for sale is donated, by homeowners or businesses.  It’s then sold to help sustain the organization.  I spoke to Tom Boisvert and Doug Willey at their recently opened store in Newington, New Hampshire.  Listen by clicking on the arrow or the download link.

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Talk about Tax Loopholes!!!!!

The view of the new Service Credit Union building under construction on Route 1 in Portsmouth serves as a resounding reminder of the politics of tax loopholes which we all pay dearly to support.

New Corporate Service Credit Union Building - Portsmouth, NH - Photo by Roger Wood

Many people don’t realize that Credit Unions, unlike banks and thrifts, pay no Federal or State Income taxes. Now this may have been an appropriate treatment during the infancy of these organizations, whose original purpose in 1909 was to serve the banking needs of a very distinct and narrowly defined group of lower income individuals who had limited access to regular banking services. However in the current scheme of things Credit Unions have been allowed to evolve through legislative initiatives into mirror images of the banks and thrifts with which they compete side by side for the same customers, business and individual, albeit credit unions do so with the significant advantage afforded to them via their continued tax exempt status.

To add a little perspective the two major credit unions in Portsmouth, Service Credit Union and Northeast Credit Union, have combined total assets of $2.7 Billion and over the last two years earned $70 million in net income—on which they paid zero taxes. In contrast the six community banks who serve Portsmouth have combined total assets of $2.5 billion and earned $38 million over the last two years, on which they paid a combined $13.9 million in federal and state income taxes. Had the same 36.5% average tax burden been applied to the local credit union earnings a whopping $25.5 million would have been added to state and federal tax coffers. Ironically had income taxes applied to these entities their net after tax earnings would have still been almost double that of their community bank counterparts, makes you wonder why they need this pricey accommodation.

On a national scale as of December 31, 2011 United States Credit Unions had total assets of almost one trillion dollars and earnings of over six billion dollars. Taxing them on the same scale as their bank counterparts would annually add over two billion dollars to our tax revenues. Of interest is the fact that our senators and representatives have their own Credit Union—the Congressional Federal Credit Union which has over $700 million in assets and earned over $7 million in income over the last two years, and of course paid no federal or state income taxes. Why do individuals earning over $180,000 per year need subsidized banking services?

As you listen to the partisan bickering in Washington and the rhetoric over closing loopholes to insure all pay their “fair share”, I hear no politician beat the drum to close this most obvious and unnecessary loophole—it would appear that the credit union lobby is very gifted at their job! There is very compelling precedent for elimination of the tax exempt status of Credit Unions. In 1951 Congress eliminated the tax exempt status for Mutual Savings Banks, Savings & Loans and Co-operative Banks, the rational for this vote summarized by the statement that these entities had outgrown their tax-exempt status as they were now “actively in competition” with tax paying banks and financial institutions.

So as you drive past the gleaming new Service Credit Union building remember that it’s your tax dollars, not theirs, which pays for the infrastructure necessary to support our well-being. And if you receive your financial services from a bank or thrift you’re helping pay for 91.8 million others to receive subsidized accounts— including your own members of congress and their staff.

Isn’t it time to end this ridiculous loophole too!!!

Written by David Outhouse, Greenland, New Hampshire.