Patricia Martin
ECHO Action Team
Dear Editor,
On Thursday, September 13th, Governor Sununu and a minority of NH legislators jettisoned an opportunity for towns, school districts, non-profits and businesses to control their energy costs with net metering. The NH House sustained the Governor’s veto of Senate Bill 446 by a vote of 213 to 128 (needed 228 to 113). [Roll call of votes below.]
Defenders of Senate Bill 446 explained that raising the net-metering cap from 1 MegaWatt to 5 MegaWatts has no financial impact on ratepayers. These systems are installed at the owners’ expense and most of the energy produced is consumed at the facility or credited to other properties.
Raising the cap is important because 1 MW is seldom enough to cover ALL the energy expenses of a town and associated schools. The Jaffrey Rindge School District would need 2 MW of capacity alone. The cost of connecting a renewable resource to the electrical grid is very expensive, so economy of scale is important too.
In defense of the override on SB 446, Representative Michael Harrington stated repeatedly that these projects are already getting a 30% federal tax credit as well as a payment from the Renewable Energy Fund. Was he being deliberately misleading, or does he not know that towns, schools and non-profits don’t pay federal taxes and therefore can’t take advantage of the federal tax credit? Does he not know that policies which suppress the renewable energy market in New Hampshire have depleted the Renewable Energy Fund to the point that not every qualified applicant receives our relatively meager state subsidies?
I’m sure he does know these things, just as I’m sure that my opponent in the Cheshire 11 race for State Representative, John Hunt, also knows these things. Representative Hunt has a 70KW + solar installation on his castle [he calls his home "the castle] in Rindge that he net meters. Representatives Hunt and O’Day both voted to sustain the Governor’s veto of SB 446. Their votes hurt towns, non-profits and businesses.
It astounds me that our Governor and his loyal minions present themselves as being business friendly and on their side in the battle against high energy costs, but instead vote with the utility lobbyists at every opportunity.
I would welcome an opportunity to publicly debate Representatives Hunt and O’Day on their reasons for allowing the veto to stand.
Sincerely,
Patricia Martin
Candidate for the NH House, Cheshire 11, Rindge
Editor's Update...
DOES YOUR REPRESENTATIVE SUPPORT EXPANDING SOLAR?
Find out before you vote in November!
INTIAL VOTE
• A green "yea" means your representative voted for SB446 and increasing solar net metering from 1MW to 5MW, increasing the amount of excess energy generated by solar panels to be put back into the grid, which means less use of other energy sources such as gas, would be used to produce energy.
• A red "nay" means your representative voted against SB446, which would continue to restrict net metering to 1MW, restricting the amount of excess solar energy being put back into the grid, increasing the use of other energy sources, such as gas, to produce energy.
GOVERNOR SUNUNU VETOED THE PASSED BILL
SB446 failed because many of our representatives voted to sustain Governor Sununu's veto of the bill to raise the solar cap.
• A green "yea" means your representative voted to sustain Governor Sununu's veto of the bill, which maintains the 1MW restriction on the amount of excess energy generated by solar panels that is allowed to be put back into the grid, which means more of other energy sources such as gas, will be used to produce energy.
• A red "nay" means your representative voted to override Governor Sununu's veto of the bill and raise the net metering cap from 1MW to 5MW, allowing for more excess energy generated by solar panels to be put back into the grid, reducing the amount of other energy sources, like gas, being used to generate electricity.
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