Ned McElroy: Ned McElroy understands how power is developed and who pays

To The Daily Sun,

When seeing a bunch of windmills strewn across local hilltops or an assembly of solar panels engulfing a local meadow do you think: “Thank goodness; look at all the free energy we’re getting?” Or do you think “Hmm when the wind doesn’t blow or the sun doesn’t shine what then?”

It seems as if our electric rates are skyrocketing! Indeed, in speeches by then candidate Barack Obama back in the day it was clear that he understood when regulating carbon emissions our electricity rates would necessarily skyrocket! Guess what? He was right.

In the continental United States, only three states (Connecticut, Massachusetts and Rhode Island) have higher electricity rates than New Hampshire! A key reason for this is that our legislators force our utilities to pay high costs using power sources they prefer. In fact Senate Bill 168 sponsored by Democrat candidate for Governor Dan Feltes would amend the state’s Renewable Portfolio Standards (RPS) to require that at least 5.4 percent of New Hampshire’s electricity is generated from solar sources by 2025. Why 5.4 percent? Your guess is as good as mine.

How much will this increase NH electric bills? Who knows? The climate is changing remember? We gotta do something! Huh? What about the fact that according to the Paris-based International Energy Agency the United States saw the largest decline in energy-related CO2 emissions on a country basis in 2019. So what’s the motivation? Democrats love big government. Some call them globalists. What you need to know is your rising electricity costs are not their priority.

Despite practical advice for caution, the law our legislators developed; the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI) requires among other things that utilities pay for all power produced by wind and solar; needed or not. Worse, the utilities are forced to purchase this unnecessary power at retail! Guess who’s paying for all this? You and I!

This “extra energy” should help power plants reduce their operating costs, right? Not so fast. Keep in mind utilities must have capacity enough to match peak demand. Renewables won’t help. What then has RGGI done for us? It’s increased costs. By how much? Many estimate by 60 percent! A $100 a month N.H. electric bill would be only $40 a month in other parts of the country. Those sixty dollars would put a lot of food on someone’s table and hurts the poor and elderly!

Who did this to us? Liberal politicians like Jeanne Shaheen, Ann Kuster, Chris Pappas, Dan Feltes and Dick Osborne. AKA: Democrat tax and spenders. This is what we get when we elect politicians who ALWAYS FOLLOW THEIR POWER HUNGRY LEADERS!

We need change! We need to elect state representatives and state senators with common sense! We need to elect people who understand the needs of average people who are not beholding to leaders who don’t give a hoot about Granite Starters! Mark Alliegro has these qualities. Mark is an educated scientist who has spent years studying this very issue.

Ned McElroy

Campton