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Committee advances moratorium, study commission for large timber carbon-sequestration projects
Summary
The Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee voted to recommend passage of an amendment establishing a study commission and a moratorium on carbon sequestration projects larger than 500 acres, with payment-in-lieu-of-taxes language and a defined sunset for the commission.
The Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee voted to recommend that a bill establishing a study commission and a moratorium for large carbon-sequestration timber projects ought to pass as amended.
The amendment adopted by the committee creates a study commission made up of stakeholders, defines "pre-sequestration of timber," and places a moratorium on new carbon-sequestration projects over 500 acres while the commission studies the issue. The amendment also adds a payment-in-lieu-of-taxes (PILT) option tied to RSA 79‑5, exempts existing contracts from the moratorium and sets a firm end for the commission’s work.
Sponsor (Senator) told the committee the language had required “a lot of compromise” and that stakeholders should be able to accept it. The sponsor said the moratorium applies to “projects over 500 acres” and that smaller parcels were exempt. The sponsor added the moratorium is tied to the commission’s timetable: the commission must be in place by no later than Nov. 1, 2027, and the moratorium ends when the commission issues its final report.
Senator (unnamed) said they would vote against the measure for two reasons: that the 500‑acre threshold is too low and that the PILT/tax‑credit language does not make timber owners whole because of overlapping timber taxes. The sponsor and other senators responded that the measure is intended as a short‑term pause to allow the commission to produce recommendations and that current contracts cannot be retroactively barred.
Committee members voted to adopt the amendment (amendment 2101s) and, by voice consent, moved the bill as “ought to pass as amended.” There was no recorded roll‑call opposition during the committee’s voice votes.
Why it matters: the amendment pauses large carbon‑sequestration projects while a stakeholder commission studies how to apply existing PILT rules under RSA 79‑5 to these projects and to propose legislative fixes. The moratorium and the timebound commission are designed to give lawmakers a chance to craft a longer‑term policy without disrupting contracts already in force.
What’s next: the committee recommended the bill as amended. The commission created by the bill will study payment‑in‑lieu‑of‑taxes provisions and other application issues for carbon‑sequestration projects and will report back by the date set in the bill.
