If the proposed reduction in the RGGI cap goes through, that price would probably rise again. This won't be welcomed by RGGI opponents, who describe the program as a hidden tax that raises electricity rates but accomplishes little. ...PSNH has been a vocal opponent of RGGI, which it says contributes to an increase in its rates.

Energy Policy New Hampshire

"I am very concerned we have a long term energy strategy but like all of us in New Hampshire, I also love the outdoors that is so important to the quality of life. I think the first proposal didn't take that into consideration and could have harmed our travel and tourism economy."

Transmission New Hampshire

Last month, New Hampshire state lawmakers quietly introduced a bill that would suspend further wind project development in the Granite State. More than a month later, that proposal is gaining considerable attention from both state representatives and local residents, some of whom claim that wind turbines have damaging effects on tourism and property values.

General New Hampshire

You'd think Sierra Club would know all too well that sustainable means more than just non-fossil fuels; it means workable, realistic and supporting local community over big global corporations. Apparently Sierra Club forgot about that part of the concept of renewable energy development; that sustainable means community supported and community supporting.

Energy Policy New Hampshire

Labor and business groups were outnumbered today in a hearing to put a moratorium on any wind farm or electrical transmission line project. House Bill 580 calls for an energy plan to be written before permits are issued for projects such as Northern Pass or wind farms such as the one on Tenney Mountain in Plymouth.

General New Hampshire

"The major downside of these wind towers they require an enormous amount of space. And it's not just ordinary space, it is our mountaintops, it is those high forests, it is the ridgelines that I think define with is beautiful about New Hampshire."

General New Hampshire

Those supporting the moratorium heavily outnumbered those opposed to the bill. Many traveled from northern parts of the state to explain why they think the wind turbines aren't a good fit for their communities. "When does a private company in search of profit have more rights than the private citizen who owns property in the state of New Hampshire?"

General New Hampshire

"The NLRA believes that the state should enact a moratorium on all pending and proposed commercial wind projects until a comprehensive energy plan can be prepared to guide state energy policy toward a more carbon-free, cost-effective, locally produced, and high-efficiency energy environment which does not sacrifice the quality of life that supports our economy."

Energy Policy New Hampshire

As I reported in Saturday's paper, New England is experiencing a remarkable spike in electricity prices brought on by high heating demand and rising natural gas prices for electric generators.

Impact on Economy Connecticut Massachusetts Maine New Hampshire Rhode Island Vermont

The underlying issue in New England is that gas pipeline capacity is inadequate to keep prices steady in times of high home heating demand, said Vamsi Chadalavada, executive vice president and chief operating officer of ISO New England. ISO is leading a study focused mainly on reliability, but reliability is intertwined with price, he said.

Energy Policy Connecticut Massachusetts Maine New Hampshire Vermont

A moratorium on Big Wind Farms in New Hampshire, makes absolute sense. I applaud Representative Harold "Skip" Reilly (R-Grafton) for his forward thinking on this matter. Reilly has proposed legislation calling for a moratorium on all wind power construction until the state updates its energy plan. (HB-580 and HB-484). Get back to basics and start asking important questions.

Impact on People Impact on Landscape New Hampshire

"Proper siting involves a multitude of considerations, including environmental impacts," the statement read. "We felt strongly that this proposed project failed the ‘proper siting' criteria. Clearly, the SEC agreed."

General New Hampshire

"Recently we have seen a number of proposals for new energy facilities, specifically wind farms and transmission lines, that will have an important and lasting impact on our state," Arnold said. Arnold said the Legislature should act quickly on a bill giving the SEC a broad range of authority in considering proposed facilities.

Energy Policy Transmission New Hampshire

"The committee deliberated for three full days after hearing more than 11 days of evidence and ultimately decided the project would cause an adverse effect to the aesthetics of the area primarily because of the visual impact," SEC attorney Michael Iacopino said. The project's nearness to the New Hampshire Audubon-held Willard Pond Wildlife Sanctuary played a part in the decision, as well as the opposition voiced both in testimony and written statements.

General New Hampshire

Woody Miller, a realtor at Coldwell Bank and Old Mill Properties in Bristol, said the Groton wind farm has likely already slowed the sale of one of his properties in neighboring Rumney. "I would argue that wind farms here will have a substantial effect on fair-market property values. If you eliminate even a few of the pool of potential buyers for a particular property, it hurts property sales and therefore values."

Property Values Impact on Economy New Hampshire

Sustainability is not, or should not be, a political issue. Real conservatives recognize the need to husband resources and live within their means. Real progressives understand the cannibalizing of nature can only lead to "death by a thousand cuts." These truths are relevant to the current gold rush by energy corporations to cover New Hampshire's landscape with long-distance, high-voltage power lines and wind farms.

Energy Policy New Hampshire

Grant Bosse, the editor of New Hampshire Watchdog, said the move by RGGI has little to do with lowering carbon emissions. He said the economic collapse and slow recovery meant fewer emissions, fewer producers purchasing permits, which meant a loss of projected revenue for the nine states. "This has everything to do with revenues and nothing to do with the environment. This is driven by a desire for more state revenue."

Taxes & Subsidies Energy Policy New Hampshire

The Portuguese company that previously received permission from the Zoning Board to build a meteorological tower to determine whether it then wants to build a fullscale wind farm, was back before the board on Thursday evening for a rehearing.

Zoning/Planning New Hampshire

We are presently at a critical point in New Hampshire. Foreign wind farm companies are rushing to construct huge wind turbine projects along NH's ridgelines, in ways that will forever change the landscape of our state, unless we act now. We need to institute an immediate state-wide moratorium on such projects, before we reach the point of no return.

Impact on Landscape Impact on Economy Tourism New Hampshire

The New Hampshire Site Evaluation Committee rejected approval of a proposed 10-turbine wind project late Thursday, but the company behind Antrim Wind Energy said it is still considering the options following the highly anticipated ruling.

General New Hampshire