FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: June 3, 2019 CONTACT: (603) 369-4301 CONCORD, NH – The New England Ratepayers Association (NERA) offered the following comments on Governor Sununu’s veto of House Bill 365: “We commend Governor Sununu for vetoing HB 365 which would raise electricity costs on New Hampshire’s ratepayers by tens of […]
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Category: Electricity
Governor Sununu was Right to Veto Biomass Tax and Solar Subsidy
Taxes are a dirty word that neither political party (current Democrats running for Governor notwithstanding) wants to be accused of supporting. To avoid being labeled “tax and spenders” New Hampshire’s elected officials have been very creative in finding ways to provide tax benefits to politically favored industries without directly raising taxes. They often do it […]
Stop picking winners and losers in energy markets
Hey, New Hampshire State Senate—Jimmy Carter is calling, and he wants his energy policy back. It’s Senate Bill 365, which is New Hampshire’s very own proposal to mirror the 1978 Public Utility Regulatory Policies Act (PURPA) and would require that utilities purchase power from a select group of qualified facilities at above market rates. Instead […]
Sorting out our perverse electricity markets
Natural gas is getting a bum rap in renewables debate THE RECENT ANNOUNCEMENT by developers of the Access Northeast natural gas pipeline that they are suspending the project until legislation allows for electric ratepayer financing of pipelines illustrates a major flaw in our electricity markets. A market structure that doesn’t incentivize natural gas power generators […]
The Truth About Electricity Rates and Northern Pass
In her May 12th NHBR opinion column titled “Northern Pass just isn’t worth it”, Judy Reardon repeated a fundamental misunderstanding of the potential benefits that a transmission project like Northern Pass can deliver to families and businesses in New Hampshire and the region. Energy analysts don’t have crystal balls so there is no way of […]
Stop the Madness
It is well known that electricity rates in New England are much higher than the national average. Elected officials talk about the problem and raise their voices even higher when manufacturers and major employers announce they are either expanding their operations in other states or leaving the region entirely, taking thousands of jobs with them. […]
Natural Gas Pipeline Ruling Increases Importance of Canadian Hydro
On August 17th the Massachusetts Supreme Court vacated a ruling by the Massachusetts Department of Public Utilities that would have permitted electric utilities to charge electric ratepayers for pipeline capacity—and then sell the gas to generators. This could be the swan song for the last major natural gas pipeline expansion project on the table for […]
It’s now up to the SEC to Determine the Fate of Northern Pass
The New Hampshire Site Evaluation Committee recently decided to extend the time frame for a ruling on the Northern Pass project for an additional nine months, which is nine months longer than state law allows. The rules and timeframe codified in law were the result of a legislative process that was painstakingly inclusive, encompassing a […]
Lift the Net Metering Cap, but Pay Solar Wholesale Prices
The latest energy debate in Concord is centered on attempts to raise the 50 MW cap on retail net energy metering—a policy that requires utilities to pay for excess electricity (usually solar) generated by a homeowner, business or municipality. When utilities are forced to pay retail rates for solar electricity that are two times the […]
New England’s Ratepayers Need Greater Access to Natural Gas
Electricity prices in New England are the highest of any region in the United States and have increased 17 to 44 percent the past decade (depending on the state). Not coincidently, New England has lost 150,000 manufacturing jobs during the same period—and too frequently companies have moved or expanded to other parts of the country. […]