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Clean energy coming to New Hampshire
Long-fought battle won for renewable power
After
over two years of hard work by Environment New Hampshire and our
allies, Gov. Lynch signed into law the Renewable Energy Act of 2007 on
May 11.
Working alongside public health advocates, renewable
energy businesses, industry groups, state officials and a bi-partisan
group of legislators, we were able to overcome the opposition to bring
more clean energy to New Hampshire.
This landmark law will
ensure that 23.8 percent of the state’s electricity will come from
clean, renewable energy—such as wind, solar, clean biomass and small
hydro-electric—by 2025. It also requires electric companies to include
a minimum percentage of renewable energy in the electricity they sell.
This
Clean Energy Standard will help cut pollution, as cleaner homegrown
electricity begins to offset traditional polluting, fossil-fuel-based
sources such as coal. A study out of the University of New Hampshire
also projects the standard will help to create 1,100 full-time jobs and
$1 million in new state revenue annually in 2025.
A steady drumbeat
Bolstered
by the success of clean energy in New Hampshire and other states, we’ve
been pushing Congress to adopt a strong renewable energy policy for the
entire nation. And, with the House of Representatives’ recent approval
of a national Renewable Electricity Standard, Congress is showing that
they’re ready to follow the states’ lead.
The bill’s renewable
electricity amendment would require utilities to generate 15 percent of
their electricity from renewable energy, such as wind, solar or
biomass, or through energy efficiency savings by 2020. The amendment
was offered by Representatives Udall (NM), Rodriguez (TX), Platts (PA),
and others.
From here, the bill will be brought to conference
with the energy bill passed by the Senate in June. The Senate’s energy
bill includes an important provision to improve national fuel economy
standards, but lacks a renewable electricity standard.
Read more about how we achieved this victory in our newsroom.
New Hampshire will get more power from clean energy, like wind power.
