The Climate Crisis and Renewable Energy

New Hampshire should move quickly to give power to people to take charge of their energy costs.  This can be done by lifting limits on net metering so residents, businesses, and municipalities can take advantage right now of lower-cost solar energy.  The state can move much more quickly on building an electric vehicle charging network on state roads, and offer incentives for this installation for individuals, multifamily housing, businesses, and municipalities.  

The state should immediately increase the funding for energy efficiency for residential structures since this will reduce energy costs right away. Senator Watters has introduced and passed bills in each of these areas. We can also make the Public Utilities Commission require utilities to have longer term contracts to avoid price spikes and to phase in any increases. Longer term, we should move aggressively on cheap, renewable, offshore wind resources, as Senator Watter has advocated as the state’s leader on offshore wind development. We can increase funding for the Career and Technical Education system and increase apprentice programs and partnerships with union training programs.

Senator Watters is the Senate leader on renewable energy and the new clean energy economy. His legislation has promoted energy efficiency, low-income solar programs, community power aggregation, and increases in the net metering cap, all of which save money for consumers and taxpayers while reducing dependence on foreign energy sources and fighting greenhouse gas emissions and climate change. 

Senator Watters’ legislation created the New Hampshire Commission on Offshore Wind and Port Development, for which he serves as chair.  His bills ensure that New Hampshire will protect its environment, fisheries, and ratepayers when developing offshore wind resources in the Gulf of Maine and approving power purchase agreements.  This multibillion-dollar industry, operational by the late 2020s, will bring much cheaper renewable energy to the state and employ thousands of workers in high paying jobs. 

Senator Watters is also the legislative leader on electric vehicle adoption and electric vehicle infrastructure.  His bill created the New Hampshire Commission on Electric Vehicle Infrastructure, which he chaired, and subsequent legislation has established implementation procedure, guidelines for rate setting, and a state plan for a charging network. New legislation proposes vehicle-to-grid regulation and a pilot program for electric school buses to save school districts money and improve student health.

Looking to the future, Senator Watters will propose legislation to create green hydrogen infrastructure so hydrogen can serve as an energy storage fuel, replace coal and natural gas in electricity generation, and fuel heavy vehicles such as interstate trucking.