Earlier this year the Boscawen Board of Selectmen wrote a letter to our two state representatives, Howard Pearl of Loudon and Robert Forsythe of Boscawen, asking them to support House Bill 365, the bill that increases the renewable energy net metering cap. We also wrote to Harold French, our state senator.
We did this because we are one of many municipalities around the state that will benefit by lifting the size cap on renewable generation. We have hydro dams on the Contoocook River that can benefit from net metering more of the electricity they are able to generate. If they benefit, our town and our town’s taxpayers do too under our payment-in-lieu-of-tax agreement with the hydro facility owners. We would also like to buy their power for use at our municipal facilities, resulting in even more savings for our taxpayers, but N.H. law currently prohibits us from doing so. HB 365 will give us this option.
Despite considerable pressure from interests that claim this bill will increase electric rates (it won’t), our representatives and senator considered our views and the views of other constituents in their districts and supported this legislation. The bill passed the House with a strong bipartisan majority and had unanimous support in the Senate.
Unfortunately our governor sees this bill differently, and continues to misrepresent its impact on ratepayers.
The Boscawen Board of Selectmen remains confident that Reps. Pearl and Forsythe and Sen. French will vote with integrity when the opportunity arises to consider an override of the governor’s veto on Sept. 18.
ED CHERIAN, ROGER SANBORN and LORRIE CAREY
Boscawen
(The writers are members of the Boscawen Board of Selectmen.)