Published: 5/18/2016 1:46:52 AM
Meredith Hatfield is leaving as head of the Governor’s Office of Energy and Planning at the start of June to take a job in Boston.
Hatfield, a Concord resident and lawyer, was appointed director of the office in 2013 by Democratic Gov. Maggie Hassan. The office oversees the state’s 10-year energy strategy, administers fuel-assistance programs and monitors conservation easements in New Hampshire.
Hatfield had previously been the state’s consumer advocate, representing ratepayer interests before the state’s Public Utilities Commission. She held that job from 2006 until the Republican-led Executive Council blocked her reappointment in 2011.
Hatfield will take a job at the Barr Foundation in Boston, working on clean energy-related grants. “It’s sad to leave,” she said.
Hatfield headed the office when it released New Hampshire’s latest 10-year energy strategy, meant as a resource for lawmakers and state agencies. The plan calls on the state to modernize its electrical grid, increase energy efficiency and transportation choices, and diversify the fuel supply. According to the report, released in 2014, solar and wind power generation in New Hampshire have significant potential.
The office director is appointed by the governor and does not require sign-off from the Executive Council. Hassan is looking to find a replacement as “quickly as possible,” spokesman William Hinkle said.
(Allie Morris can be reached at 369-3307 or at amorris@cmonitor.com.)