House Committee hears support for climate action bill

CONCORD — The majority of those testifying on HB 208 before the House Committee on Science, Technology, and Energy on Monday supported the bill, which calls for updating the state’s climate action policy to include reductions in greenhouse gas emissions.

Wharton Sinkler of Sandwich told the committee that addressing climate change is not only important for health and the nation’s economic future but also for national security.

“Right now, we are indirectly in a conflict with Russia, and they benefit when we use a lot of fossil fuel and therefore keep the global price for fossil fuels high," Sinkler said. "So from a national security point of view, New Hampshire can do its part and really have an impact if we plan away from these fossil fuels. It will benefit the climate, it will benefit health, it will benefit national security.”

Ken Wells of Andover, a former state legislator, spoke of the economic benefits for a state that depends upon tourism.

“The current 10-year plan is a plan that maintains the fossil fuel status quo,” Wells said, “and this accelerates the deleterious economic effects in the portion of the state that’s the economic engine for tourism and forestry — the part of the state that we are all from.”

Committee Chair Michael Vose (R-Epping) challenged Wells’ assertion that, in 60 years, New Hampshire’s climate will be like North Carolina’s climate is today.

“Well, that’s a prediction,” Vose said, “but most of the predictions that have been made about climate change in the last 30-40 years have proved to be incorrect.”

“I don’t believe that,” Wells responded.

Michael Fitzgerald, the assistant director of the Department of Environmental Services’ Air Resources Division, said DES is not taking a position on the bill, which has merits but lacks any appropriation to hire the additional personnel necessary to develop the plan.

Fitzgerald noted that, when the state developed its current climate action plan in 2009, the governor appointed a 29-member task force to oversee its development, using money received through a national air pollution settlement with power plants in the Midwest. That process took two years to complete, and Fitzgerald said that, in order to develop a well-thought-out update of the plan, it would likely take another two years. The department would need three additional staff members to undertake the update, including one permanent position to provide the annual updates required under the proposed legislation.

HB 208 states that the climate action plan would seek at least a 20% reduction of greenhouse gas emissions by 2025, based on 1990 levels. It aims at a 50% reduction by 2035 and achievement of “net zero” by 2050.

In her testimony, Meredith Hatfield of the Nature Conservancy addressed some representatives’ doubts about achieving those goals by noting that, through the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative and other policies, the state already has come a long way in reducing emissions from the 1990 levels.

“I do think, if the committee is not comfortable moving forward with this bill as currently drafted, I would urge you to retain it and work on it more if you feel like it needs more work,” Hatfield said. “I think there would be a lot of people who would be happy to contribute to that process.”

The bill also addresses the recently updated state energy policy, rescinding it and replacing it with the stipulation that it "meet the energy needs of the citizens and businesses of the state at the lowest reasonable cost while providing for the reliability and diversity of energy sources,” that it “maximize the use of all cost-effective energy efficiency and other demand-side resources,” that it “achieve the greenhouse gas emission goals identified in RSA 125-O:31, II,” and that it “protect the safety and health of the citizens, the physical environment of the state, and the supply of natural resources for future generations.”

Joan Widmer of Amherst cited her background as a health care practitioner and her 25-year career in corporate finance in speaking to the importance of addressing the health implications of climate change as well as of updating strategic plans every three years.

“We’re dealing with a climate change plan that had not been updated since 2009,” she said. “That’s untenable because every plan needs to be modified over time because the events and circumstances around those plans change.”

She noted that high temperatures exacerbate health problems such as chronic obstructive respiratory disease and congestive heart failure, but “most of New Hampshire homes are not equipped with air conditioning, and so these patients suffer particularly badly.”

Joseph Kwasnik of the NH Network for Environment, Energy and Climate supported the bill because the state’s current climate strategy lacks specific goals.

“This bill provides actionable and quantifiable goals by specifying greenhouse gas emissions reductions over the next 27 years, including net zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050,” Kwasnik said. “This bill also requires the New Hampshire Department of Environmental Services to develop a plan to achieve the emissions reductions. This plan should provide the blueprint so sorely needed in New Hampshire to begin to deal with the climate change challenge.”

Those signing the “blue sheet” in lieu of verbal testimony supported the bill, 3-1, and online support was 166-12.