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State poised for windfall of federal money for broadband
(This story was corrected at 10 a.m. on Aug. 17. Henry Underwood is the name of the GIS specialist and senior planner at the Monadnock Broadband Group.) The infrastructure bill that passed the U.S. Senate earlier this month contains $65 billion for broadband – a sum lawmakers say is enough to provide universal access to […]
‘Everything is in a state of flux’: New Department of Energy struggling to find its footing
On July 1, a new department was born. Proponents of the reorganization that created the Department of Energy had high hopes that it would help increase transparency and accountability. The vision was to create a “home” for energy policy in state government by pulling some of the energy work that used to happen at the […]
Nuclear Regulatory Commission official visiting Seabrook Station and its aging concrete
This story was updated on Aug. 10 at 2:40 p.m. with a statement from NextEra Energy. Amid growing questions over concrete degradation, a top official from the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission is visiting Seabrook Station on Tuesday. At a congressional hearing in July, Congresswoman Annie Kuster asked the federal agency how it is handling Seabrook’s […]
Starting next month, kids under 14 can legally sell lemonade without a permit
There’s a new exemption for young entrepreneurs in New Hampshire: They can sell lemonade without a permit. The exemption applies to other soft drinks, too, as long as they are being sold on family property. House Bill 183 was signed into law by Gov. Chris Sununu at the end of July and will go into […]
Vulnerability of state’s infrastructure takes center stage at roundtable discussion
Jay Minkarah hadn’t thought about the possibility of a severe flood shutting down the Central New Hampshire Turnpike in Merrimack until he worked on a Department of Transportation assessment looking at exactly that scenario. “It really brought home to me the vulnerability of our infrastructure at a time when we are, you know, pretty clearly […]
Assisted migration aims to help forests – and people – adapt to a swiftly changing climate
A tree doesn’t just all of a sudden pull up its roots, pack its bags, and decide to set out for a more hospitable home when the climate changes. But trees do migrate. This can occur through processes like natural selection, where the tree species that are best adapted to a particular area are the […]
How much should it cost to charge an electric vehicle? Vendor approved to find out
The Executive Council approved $292,950 in spending on Wednesday for a contract with The Brattle Group Inc., a Boston-based consulting firm, to study time-of-use rates for charging electric vehicles. Consultants at the firm will be paid up to $575 per hour to conduct work that the new Department of Energy is outsourcing. They will look […]
Executive Council approves $250,000 in federal money to study the impact of offshore wind
A quarter of a million dollars of American Rescue Plan money will go toward studying the impacts of developing offshore wind in the Gulf of Maine, following Executive Council approval of the contract on Wednesday. The contract runs through June 30, 2023. The assessment will look at economic, energy, and environmental impacts associated with offshore […]
Executive Council to consider contract with Colorado firm to monitor energy efficiency efforts
Evaluating and monitoring energy efficiency efforts is key in ensuring that the state’s program is delivering on its promises. A $284,683 contract that would pay a Colorado firm to verify that work is up for a vote before the Executive Council on Wednesday. Consumer Advocate Don Kreis called the chosen firm, Skumatz Economic Research Associates, […]
New law places barrier on state joining low carbon fuel standard programs
This story and headline were updated on Aug. 2 at 2:42 p.m. to clarify that the version of the bill that was signed into law did not contain language preventing discussion of low carbon fuel standard programs. In 2019, Gov. Chris Sununu decided that New Hampshire would not join the Transportation and Climate Initiative, but […]
Policy experts say infrastructure deal could transform clean energy efforts, address inequity
A test vote on Wednesday advanced national legislation on a $550 billion infrastructure deal and cleared the way for debate to begin in the U.S. Senate. The plan contains significant measures for clean energy infrastructure – the subject of a policy symposium held at Dartmouth’s Irving Institute on Wednesday. During the discussion, policy experts raised […]
Bill changing the date of the state primary vetoed by Sununu
Gov. Chris Sununu vetoed a proposal to hold the state primary earlier in the year. House Bill 98 would have moved the state primary from the second Tuesday in September to the first Tuesday in August, a change proponents said would level the playing field between incumbents and newcomers. The bill, whose prime sponsor was […]