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Senate hearing opens on bill to change New Hampshire stormwater rules for solar arrays
Summary
Supporters told the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee that New Hampshire’s stormwater rules and wetland guidance are adding construction costs that threaten small- and mid-sized solar projects; DES officials said site-specific review and rulemaking are the appropriate next steps.
Sen. Howard Pearl opened a hearing on Senate Bill 65 on stormwater management for solar arrays, saying the bill would align New Hampshire’s stormwater and wetland rules for solar projects with “best available science.”
The bill’s proponents — solar developers, an environmental nonprofit and a utility representative — told the committee that the state’s current alteration-of-terrain (AOT) rules and DES guidance treat many solar arrays as impervious surfaces, forcing developers to design and build large stormwater basins that can add hundreds of thousands to more than $1 million in costs. “Your typical solar project in New Hampshire is about 20 acres in size…under DES’s rules, on average, you’re required to build about 3 or 4 acres of concrete stormwater basins,” Sam Feigenbaum of Kearsarge Energy said.
Why it matters: Proponents said the extra costs render many projects financially nonviable, cutting landowner lease income, local tax revenues and potential electric-bill savings for households. They urged the committee to adopt language that would…
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