Legislative

 Introduction.  This legislative update focuses on how our five representatives in the House have voted recently on five energy and climate bills described below.  Our representatives are Republicans: Robert Harb (Plaistow), Charles Melvin (Newton), James Summers (Newton) and  JD Bernardy (South Hampton).

 Background.  Compared to our bordering states, NH is way behind in the percentage of electricity generated from solar.  [MA: 19.33%, VT: 18.44%, ME: 7.02%.  Source:  Solar Energy Industries Association].  Our almost total reliance on fossil fuels leaves us vulnerable to spikes in fossil fuel prices.  The bills described below were introduced by Democrats to move NH incrementally away from fossil fuels and toward solar and other renewable energy sources. 

 NH Climate Action Plan.  HB 208 would have NH join the other New England states in establishing its own climate action plan and greenhouse gas emission reduction goals.  On March 23, the House voted 183-187 to kill HB 208. 

 Renewable Portfolio Standard.  HB 605 would have revised NH’s renewable portfolio standard to include minimum percentages for solar electric generation.  The other New England states have already done so.  The portfolio standard requires NH public utilities to distribute more than 25% of its electricity from renewable energy sources.  On March 23, the House voted 181-188 to kill HB 605. 

 Investing in Efficiency and Renewable Energy Projects.  HB 524 would have increased the funds that NH devotes to efficiency and renewable projects from $3.2 million to $9.6 million.  NH receives those funds from the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative.  Other states use most of the funds they receive from the Initiative to invest in energy efficiency and renewable energy projects.  In contrast, NH uses most of the funds it received for rebates to consumers.  On March 23, the House voted 181-186 to kill HB 524. 

 Net Metering.  HB 523 would have increased the cap on net metering (i.e., selling unused solar electricity to the electric power grid) for residential and business customer-generators.  The increase would have been from 1 megawatt of renewable energy to 5 megawatts.  On March 23, the House voted 182-189 to kill HB 523. 

Protecting Customer-Generators.  HB 263 would have required the NH Department of Energy to inform customer-generators that public utilities will take credit for their electrical production, unless they are authorized to issue renewable energy certificates.  Currently, public utilities are taking credit for the customer-generated electricity to offset the cost of the renewable energy they would otherwise be required to purchase.  On March 23, the House voted 178-186 to kill HB 263.  

 Local Votes:  During roll call votes, each of our four local representatives voted to kill HB 208, HB 524, and HB 523.  There were no recorded votes to kill HB 605 and HB 263.  Rather, they were simply killed with a  division vote (i.e., the equivalent of a show of hands at a town meeting) or voice vote.           

 Comment.  In the face of irrefutable evidence, most NH Republicans no longer deny that the globe is getting warmer.  Rather, they argue that the globe warms and cools in a natural cycle, and that burning fossil fuels is not a significant contributor to global warming.  According to NASA scientists, however, the globe is warming “at a rate not seen in the past 10,000 years.”  [See https://climate.nasa.gov/evidence/]  Also, according to a nearly unanimous consensus of the scientific community, “mitigating future warming requires urgent efforts to eliminate fossil fuels combustion” and other major sources of human-caused greenhouse gas emissions.  [See https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.1088/1748-9326/ac2966] 

Governor Chris Sununu (R)

State House, Office of the Governor 

107 North Main Street 

Concord, NH 03301 

603-271-2121 

603-271-7680 (fax)

Plaistow, Newton S. Hampton

(House District 20)

Representative Robert Harb (R)

18 Hilltop Road

Plaistow, NH  03865-2916

603-271-3125

Robert.Harb@leg.state.nh.us 

Representative Charles Melvin (R)

81 South Main Street

Newton, NH  03858-3707 

603-819-6280 

Charlie.Melvin@leg.state.nh.us

Representative James Summers (R)

41 Heath Street

Newton, NH 03858

603-271-3369 

James.Summers@leg.state.nh.us

Plaistow, Newton,  South Hampton, Kensington  Hampton Falls

(House District 36) 

Representative JD Bernardy  

255 Main Avenue  

South Hampton, NH 03827 

603-926-5796  

jd.bernardy@comcast.net 

Plaistow (Senate District 22)

Senator Daryl Abbas (R)

State House Room 105-A

107 North Main Street

Concord, NH 03301

603-271-4151

Daryl.Abbas@leg.state.nh.us