NH committee hears sharp debate over bill to rebate Renewable Energy Fund to ratepayers

Members of the New Hampshire House Ways and Means Committee heard hours of testimony March 5 on House Bill 224, which would redirect most money in the state's Renewable Energy Fund (REF) to electric ratepayers rather than use it for rebates and grants for renewable-energy projects. Sponsor Representative Jason Nader said the change would return money to consumers.

"We need relief from energy costs now," Representative Nader told the committee, arguing the REF balance could be rebated and that "the money is just sitting there ... it's just piling up. We might as well give it back." He told lawmakers rebates could range "between 2.5 and $7,300,000 a year," a figure he and others repeated under questioning.

Supporters framed the bill as ratepayer relief. Opponents — including Department of Energy staff, renewable-energy advocates, municipal and timber-sector representatives, and several members of the Energy and environmental community — urged the committee to leave the program in place or to clarify how any rebate would work. Meg Stone, legislative liaison for the New Hampshire Department of Energy, said the bill as written is ambiguous and could contradict its stated purpose.

"From the new language in bold, it appears the intention is to have the department still run incentive programs, but the struck out language prevents the department from…