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Energy efficiency, vaccines, and beyond: A roundup of House and Senate action
New Hampshire House lawmakers moved on Wednesday to approve the Senate’s version of a bill designed to save the state’s energy efficiency programs, NHSaves. Proponents of energy efficiency measures, such as weatherization and efficient appliances, have advocated for the program as the state’s one lever against rising electric and heat costs. Funding for the program […]
Bill would extend translation services to telemedicine
Health care facilities that provide translation services in person would need to also provide them for telemedicine if a provision the House is voting on Wednesday becomes law. House Bill 1390 is poised to pass, having already gotten the green light from the House Health, Human Services, and Elderly Affairs committee in a 19-0 vote. […]
‘They had felt so alone and isolated’: Teen launches tutoring service for refugee children
Riyah Patel knows what it’s like to be different, and it’s driven her, at just 15, to create her own nonprofit organization dedicated to tutoring refugee children in New Hampshire. She realized refugee students were getting left behind after struggling herself to navigate a new school and online learning during the pandemic. “I realized just […]
House to take up environmental issues on Wednesday
This article was updated at 6:42 a.m. on Feb. 16, 2022. A prior version of this article incorrectly stated when the state’s solid waste plan was updated. PFAS, landfills, water quality: The House will take up a host of bills addressing environmental issues facing the state when the full body convenes this Wednesday. Here are […]
UNH in space: Scientists chosen by NASA to lead $250 million HelioSwarm mission
UNH’s Space Science Center will lead a $250 million space mission after being selected by NASA, the university announced on Friday. The budget for this mission is the university’s largest to date, according to the announcement. Researchers will be charged with preparing nine spacecraft and managing the team of scientists that will study how the […]
‘Epic fail’: PUC decision on grid modernization sends advocates back to square one
The system responsible for delivering electricity to your door is old – dating back about a century. The architects of that system weren’t thinking about rooftop solar, electric cars, or the climate crisis, topics that advocates today say the grid must take into account. But the state’s seven-year foray into how to best update our […]
Utilities commission walks back energy efficiency decision, restoring NHSaves budgets to 2020-2021 levels
The Public Utilities Commission has restored funding for energy efficiency programs through NHSaves, allowing budgets to return to 2020-2021 levels, in a Thursday decision. According to the Thursday order, the commission changed course because of the consumer advocate’s recent appeal before the New Hampshire Supreme Court, saying it is “just and reasonable and in the […]
GOP-backed bill to celebrate Indigenous People’s Day in August draws opposition
A Republican-backed bill to preserve Columbus Day and have New Hampshire celebrate Indigenous People’s Day in August drew opposition at a public hearing this week, in a reprise of a fight last legislative session when Abenaki leaders spoke against the August date. Rep. Jess Edwards, an Auburn Republican, who is a co-sponsor of House Bill […]
Committee proposes open season on gray squirrels in reversal of wildlife protection bill
When Rep. Amanda Bouldin, a Manchester Democrat, introduced legislation to push back the start of squirrel hunting season, her goal was to prevent hunters from orphaning baby squirrels that still depend on mom. Originally, House Bill 1356 would have pushed back the start of gray squirrel hunting season two weeks, from Sept. 1 to Sept. […]
As community grapples with contaminated water, cancer patients seek answers
Carol Williams doesn’t live in New Hampshire anymore, but she links her cancer to the 36 years she lived in Bedford, just over the Merrimack town line. Williams only recently learned that the drinking water at her house contained chemicals called per- and polyfluorinated substances, or PFAS, which can be harmful to human health. The […]
Two offshore wind bills pass Senate committee with bipartisan support
Two bills that anticipate offshore wind in New Hampshire’s future sailed through hearings in the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, gaining the full support of the committee on Tuesday. After a state mandate on purchasing wind energy proved too controversial to pass last session, Sen. David Watters, a Dover Democrat, came back with more […]
Utilities appeal energy efficiency decision
The state’s utilities filed an appeal on Friday asking the New Hampshire Supreme Court to overturn a recent decision on energy efficiency programs. The joint appeal follows a similar appeal made by the Office of the Consumer Advocate in late January. The Supreme Court will now decide whether to take up the case or let […]