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Committee reviews bill to define “clean energy,” adds nuclear to state definition
Summary
House Bill 189 would add a new statewide statutory definition of "clean energy" and explicitly include nuclear power alongside renewable resources.
House Bill 189 would add a new statutory definition of "clean energy" to New Hampshire law and explicitly include nuclear power along with other renewable sources.
Representative Doug Thomas, vice chair of the House Science, Technology, and Energy committee, told the Senate Energy Committee that the bill would insert a new section in chapter 21 of the statutes defining clean energy as "low greenhouse gas emitting sources, including nuclear and other renewable sources." Thomas said the placement in chapter 21 would make the definition apply statewide and pointed to existing regulatory practice that uses a 20% capacity factor in Department of Energy estimations as precedent for some parameters.
The bill drew immediate technical questions from committee members about the phrase "low greenhouse gas emitting." Senator Waters asked whether the definition should read "minimal to no greenhouse gas emissions" or "no or low greenhouse gas emissions" to match common statutory language elsewhere. Representative JD Bernardi, Rockingham 36, argued against a strict zero-emissions formulation, saying, "0 emissions are not possible," and noting that real-world operations (for example, turbines' backup systems) can involve some emissions.
Proponents said the intent is to provide a clear, concise statutory definition so other RSAs can use the term consistently. Thomas described the change as a housekeeping and clarifying measure and said the bill also removes an obsolete advisory board repealed in the 2023–24 biennium.
No formal amendment or vote was taken at the hearing. Committee members signaled interest in drafting refinements to the statutory language (for example, replacing "low greenhouse gas emitting" with a phrase such as "minimal to no greenhouse gas emissions") before further action.
Ending
The committee closed the public hearing on HB 189 after no additional witnesses signed in. Senators and sponsors said they would discuss precise statutory wording off the record before any executive session.
