House committee hears hours of testimony for and against ending 'useful thermal' renewable credits

Concord — The House Science, Technology and Energy Committee reopened public testimony on HB 567 FN on Feb. 10, 2025, a bill that would eliminate the “useful thermal” portion of New Hampshire's Renewable Portfolio Standard (RPS) and remove incentives for biomass and some wood‑heat projects. Testimony included sawmill operators, foresters, heating‑system contractors and timberland owners urging the committee to retain thermal credits, while Representative Timothy Harrington (R) sharply criticized the thermal REC mechanism as a hidden subsidy charged through electric rates.

The bill drew the largest turnout of the morning session and more than an hour and a half of oral testimony, with detailed technical, economic and environmental arguments on both sides. Supporters — including Jason Stock, executive director of the New Hampshire Timberland Owners Association, and forester Charlie Niebling — told the committee thermal RECs are enabling investments in wood‑fired boilers, combined heat and power projects, and woodfuel markets that pay local loggers, mill employees and municipalities. Stock said HB 567 “does more than just modify the thermal REC portion of Class I — it would also eliminate Class III biomass plants” and warned that removing the incentives would “stifle…innovation” and threaten local jobs and forest‑management markets.

Representative Harrington framed his opposition in sharply critical terms, calling the thermal REC carve‑out “one of the worst examples of government” and saying the cost is effectively bundled into electric bills as a hidden subsidy. Harrington argued the program favors a narrow industry…