[GWC...]

Originally Posted by online Citizen

Keyspan plan wins DES okay

State allows partial cleanup of coal tar

By CUTTER MITCHELL
jmitchell@citizen.com

Article Date: Saturday, March 1, 2008

Selectman Gus Benavides was at a loss for words, only saying he was disappointed by the whole thing.

"I question why DES would not just go for total removal," said Benavides, pointing out that KeySpan can recover its costs from ratepayers.

Originally Posted by online Citizen

The estimate for the complete removal of coal tar is $15.9 million, compared to the $8.7 million the limited removal option.

KeySpan had been authorized by the N.H. Public Utilities Commission to build in costs associated with the Liberty Hill site investigation and cleanup into the bills consumers pay. According to the commission, the average gas user consumes 1,250 terms of gas annually; therefore, the average KeySpan consumer paid $19 between 2006 and 2007 toward remediation costs in the state.

KeySpan also recovered $14 million, or $1.9 million shy of the total removal cost, from insurance companies that issued polices to the predecessor companies responsible for contamination sites.

http://www.citizen.com/apps/pbcs.dll...318/-1/CITIZEN

One has to wonder if the members of the NHDES will share in the profits of not fully removing the contamination on Liberty Hill?!