After a year marked by wildfire smoke, intense rainfall and a warmer than normal fall and start to winter, climate change is affecting the way Granite Staters live.
But New Hampshire remains an outlier in New England when it comes to climate policy. While state lawmakers have power over how to mitigate and respond to climate change, action – and agreement on the need to take action on climate change – has been a point of contention in recent years.
This year, lawmakers are proposing a variety of legislation that could shift the way the state’s energy policy works, how we manage the emergence of electric vehicles, what kinds of relief are available to those experiencing climate change-fueled disasters, and more.
Here’s a guide to some of the bills the By Degrees team is watching.
New Hampshire energy policy
Epping Republican Michael Vose, the chair of the House’s Science, Technology and Energy committee, is proposing a bill that would change the state’s energy policy to one he says would “promote affordability, reliability, security, and dispatchable energy.”
Vose said the main purpose of the bill is to protect currently operating power plants from shutting down if rules from federal agencies change or there is an executive order to close a certain facility. Under the new policy, he said, state officials could argue that shutting down an existing plant would be detrimental to the health and safety of people in the state and intervene to stop the closure.
Most of the electricity produced in power plants in New Hampshire comes from the Seabrook nuclear plant, with natural gas generation coming in second, according to data from the Energy Information Administration. The state is also home to the last running coal plant in New England.
Vose’s bill directs the state to “maintain adequate supply, including reserves of proven and cost-effective dispatchable electricity reserves,” and to take a technology-neutral approach to developing new resources, while prioritizing dispatchable generation.
Solar and wind energy are generally considered non-dispatchable, because their ability to be used depends on weather conditions.
The bill would also have the state pursue energy efficiency “without state government subsidies.”
Another bill Vose is proposing would have the state’s Department of Energy “conduct an investigation” of support for clean energy and report back to the legislature, describing things like the benefits and risks of procuring energy from clean sources, reliability and cost-effectiveness, and the role of clean energy in economic growth.
Electric vehicles
Transportation accounts for about half of New Hampshire’s greenhouse gas emissions, and in a state with limited public transportation options, the electrification of cars could be a way to limit the state’s contributions to climate change. But whether and how much the state should support that transition is poised to become a point of contention in the state legislature this year (as well as, notably, where people will be allowed to park their cars).
Rebecca McWilliams, a Concord Democrat, is proposing a bill that would dedicate $3 million from the state’s energy efficiency fund to a two-year “cash on the hood” pilot program to reduce the cost of electric vehicles to buyers. McWilliams is also seeking to establish a commission to identify barriers to EV sales and use and find solutions.
A group of House Republicans are sponsoring an effort, led by Jeanine Notter, to prohibit the state government from procuring EVs that include components created through the use of forced labor. That would be determined by obtaining a certification from the manufacturer of the vehicle.
Senate Republican Regina Birdsell is hoping to create a commission to study a particular set of possible impacts EVs could have – the amount of fires they could cause, for example, and the potential impacts to public safety and the environment.
Rick Ladd, a House Republican, is proposing legislation that would prohibit school infrastructure funding from being used to fund energy efficient school buses.
Rep. Mark Proulx, a Manchester Republican, is proposing a bill that would prohibit state agencies from buying or leasing EVs for the next 10 years.
Proulx is also seeking to limit the ability of EV drivers to park in parking garages, under the threat of a fine.
On the topic of parking, House Democrat Barry Faulkner and House Republican Dick Thackston are proposing legislation to prohibit non-EVs from parking in spaces designated for charging electric vehicles, also under threat of a fine.
Utility company incentives
Right now in New Hampshire, utility companies get to change their “distribution rates” – about half of a customer’s monthly bill – based on how much money they spend on capital investments, like the poles and wires that deliver power. They propose new rates to the state’s Public Utilities Commission based on what they’ve spent, and regulators at the commission decide whether to approve or deny those rates.
But a new bill coming before the legislature this year would shift that system, developing a mechanism to incentivize utilities to perform better on metrics like affordability, customer satisfaction, or how quickly they can integrate new resources into the electricity grid. The new system would create a direct connection between how much money utilities make and how well they perform.
Nick Paul, the legislative director at Clean Energy New Hampshire, says the bill could help New Hampshire proactively plan for more heating and transportation systems to run on electricity.
“All of these things are going to be electrified. It's not an open question – that is going to happen,” he said. “What is up to us is – are we going to do that in a smart, cost effective way? Or are we going to be reactive and wait till the last minute and spend a ton of money?”
Paul says other states, like Illinois and Hawaii, have made similar changes to utility regulation.
Disaster relief
Climate change is driving an increase in natural disasters like intense flooding in New Hampshire. A variety of bills filed this session seek to make more state money available for residents and municipalities suffering from disasters.
Two senate bills seek to provide relief to farmers for disasters that have affected their crops.
One makes an appropriation of $8 million to the Department of Agriculture to distribute emergency crop relief to farmers who suffered from flooding and out-of-season cold spells in the past year. Another establishes a farmer assistance fund for natural disasters.
In the House and in the Senate, lawmakers have filed bills seeking to provide disaster relief aid for municipalities that suffer from severe weather events or natural disasters.
Addressing climate change
As the effects of climate change increasingly become part of daily life in New Hampshire, some lawmakers are taking broader approaches to addressing environmental shifts.
Rep. Wendy Thomas, a Democrat from Merrimack, is proposing a bill to urge climate change education in schools.
Sen. David Watters, a Democrat from Dover, is proposing the state create a council on adaptation, resilience, and innovation.
“Environmental change will increasingly impact all communities in New Hampshire, as well as state assets and infrastructure, resulting in new challenges to public health, infrastructure, tourism, natural resources, water and wastewater services, revenue sources, and the economy,” the bill says, adding that the changes to come require comprehensive planning.
