The NHTOA went 4-for-4 today, May 3, on bills passed by the N.H. House of Representatives, including:

  • * Senate Bill 365: This legislation will help the state’s biomass power plants by requiring electric utilities to purchase a portion of their power needs from the six in-state biomass power sources. Passed on a vote of 225-108.
  • * Senate Bill 446: Legislation that will increase the allowable quantity of electricity an individual or business can sell back to their utility (a.k.a. “net meter”). It will benefit the many sawmill and wood processing businesses that already or want to generate their own electricity through solar panels or biomass boilers. Passed on a voice vote.
  • * Senate Bill 577: This legislation orders the N.H. Public Utilities Commission (NHPUC) to open a docket to analyze the economics of Burgess BioPower’s electricity sales contract with Eversource. The analysis will cover the impact of closing the Burgess BioPower’s Berlin biomass power plants could have upon jobs at the plant and in the forest products industry, on property tax and other financial impacts on the city of Berlin, on renewable energy resources in New Hampshire, and the impact on Eversource ratepayers. Passed 254-64.
  • * House Bill 1402: Legislation that addresses inconsistent, unreasonable, and adverse local regulations that impact forestry and logging operations. Passed on a voice vote.

All of these bills now go through a process, lasting approximately two weeks, to prepare them for the Governor’s desk. Once they reach the Governor, he has 10 days to decide whether to sign, veto, or allow them to become law without his signature.

 

Thank you to all our members who contacted their senators and representatives regarding these bills. (Now’s the time to thank those
legislators!)