CONCORD – At the statehouse today, Governor Lynch signed
into law a landmark bill requiring nearly 20 percent of our state’s electricity
to come from clean, renewable energy by 2020.
“The winds of change are now
blowing across New Hampshire,”
said Erika Staaf, Advocate for Environment New Hampshire. “Our state is finally on the path to meeting the
majority of its power needs with cleaner, safer, home-grown energy.”
House Bill 873 requires
electric companies to include a minimum percentage of renewable, low emission
power – such as wind, solar and clean biomass – in the electricity they sell, from
both existing and new renewable sources.
“Granite Staters have
spoken and our leaders have delivered,” said Staaf. “We can now begin to move away from our
traditional, polluting energy sources such as coal and gas, and toward a
cleaner, more sustainable energy future.”
New
Hampshire was the only
state in New England that had not passed some
form of renewable portfolio standards legislation, which have now been passed
in more than 20 states. Due to the
economic and environmental benefits these polices have delivered, ten states
have now strengthened or expanded their standards.
“Now we must turn our attention
to Congress to ensure that the U.S.
takes bold steps toward federal passage of a Renewable Energy Standard as
strong as New Hampshire’s,”
added Staaf.
Environment New Hampshire is a non-partisan, non-profit
environmental organization whose mission is to advocate for clean air, clean
water and open spaces on behalf of our 2,000 statewide members.
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