The pandemic has slashed income for households and towns in New Hampshire and across the country. The New Hampshire House has the opportunity to adopt a bipartisan solution that would save money for towns and citizens: expand net metering (renewable energy sharing), to make it more accessible in our state.

Last year, a net metering bill, HB 365, passed in the Senate and House with bipartisan support. But when Gov. Chris Sununu vetoed this bill, the vote to override failed. In 2018, a similar fate met net metering SB 446.

If HB 365 went into effect last year, New Hampshire businesses and communities would have saved $2-$2.5 million annually, just on electricity generated with hydropower. Tax- and rate-payers would have saved hundreds of dollars.

This year a new net metering bill, SB 159, led by Republican Jeb Bradley and Senator Fuller Clark, passed both chambers – to be vetoed (again) by the Governor. The Senate overrode the veto by a bipartisan 17-7 vote. Now it’s up to the House to override Sununu’s veto.

Three times, our bipartisan lawmakers supported an important net metering energy bill, until Sununu brow-beat them, to let his three vetoes stand. This will keep the Governor’s fossil fuel donors happy, but what of the people of New Hampshire? Twelve of New Hampshire’s 13 mayors petitioned Sununu to support net metering. If this third veto is allowed to stand, we continue fossil fuel dependence, lose out on good new energy jobs, keep rates and property taxes high, and fail to create an energy plan for the future.

I call on Speaker Shurtleff and the rest of the House to concur with the Senate veto override immediately. Let the projects – and jobs – begin!

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