renewable remodeling

Funding for renewable energy is generating a lot of discussion at the State House these days. And at least one legislator thinks another good place to bring it up is on residents’ electric bills.

Senate Bill 97 would require electric companies to include information about how their power is generated on billing statements, and to describe the environmental profiles of those energy sources.

“I think it’s kind of dovetailing with people’s generally increased interest in where their energy is coming from and what that means for the environment,” says bill sponsor Amanda Merrill (D-Durham). Giving people more information about the energy coming into their homes seems like a logical step, she says.

Merrill wrote the bill based on discussions with the Office of Consumer Advocate, an independent state agency that represents residential utility customers (electric, natural gas, telephone and water). SB 97 comes before the Senate Energy, Environment and Economic Development Committee for a public hearing on Thursday, March 26.

Representatives from PSNH could not be reached for comment before press time, but Merrill says she has talked with them and “they’re certainly available to work on it.”

She doesn’t expect the bill to pass this session, though, because many details—such as just what those energy profiles would include and how often the information would be reported—still need to be worked out. She expects the committee to retain the bill, affording it more time to make those decisions.

But Merrill does think there’s a chance for House Bill 395 to pass this year. Sponsored by Suzanne Harvey (D-Nashua), HB 395 would require electric utilities to provide renewable energy as a “default service option.”

Currently, companies can provide renewable energy at their own discretion, as long as their overall portfolios comply with minimum requirements set by other state laws.

HB 395 says that every customer should have the option of choosing a renewable source as at least part of where his or her energy comes from. The bill would also expand and clarify the list of sources defined as renewable.

This bill has already received its public hearing, and Sen. Merrill expects a thumbs up from the House Science, Technology and Energy Committee at its executive session on Thursday, March 19. If that happens, it will most likely pass the House and cross over to the Senate for further consideration.

Renewable energy may also get a profile boost from Senate Bill 127, which adds it to the list of business or industrial purposes eligible for bonding by cities, towns, or development authorities. Sponsored by Martha Fuller Clark (D-Portsmouth), SB 127 comes before the Senate Energy, Environment & Economic Development Committee for its public hearing on Thursday, March 26.

Fuller Clark is also chair of a commission on expanding transmission capacity in the North Country. This issue affects the entire state, according to the commission, primarily because the rural North Country is where New Hampshire’s renewable energy, such as wind and biomass, is most likely to be generated. But the North Country is the weakest part of the state’s electric grid, so major upgrades are necessary before electricity can be moved north to south. 

Figuring out how to make those upgrades—and how to pay for them—is the job of the commission, which was created last year and issued its report in December. Sponsored by Fuller Clark, Senate Bill 85 would give the commission an additional year to work. This public hearing is also scheduled with the Senate Energy, Environment & Economic Development Committee on Thursday, March 26.

Another public hearing that day will look into creating a program to provide low-cost firewood from state lands to low-income individuals. Sponsored by Matthew Houde (D-Plainfield), Senate Bill 117 would establish a committee to look at the logistics of that program. A report of its findings and any recommendations would be due by Nov. 1.

All of this work takes place against the backdrop of Gov. Lynch’s “25 by ’25 Renewable Energy Initiative.” Announced in August 2006, it endorses a national effort to produce 25 percent of the country’s energy from “clean, renewable sources” by the year 2025.    

To help achieve that, electricity providers must either include a minimum percentage of renewable sources in their overall energy portfolios, or pay into a renewable energy fund. This requirement took effect in 2007 after passage of HB 873, sponsored by Rep. Harvey.

Front Door Politics is a weekly legislative update for everyone affected by New Hampshire laws. An online learning center, additional reporting, and a blog subscription are available at www.frontdoorpolitics.com .