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Science, Technology and Energy committee votes 14-0 against establishing Energy Efficiency and Resource Development Authority
Summary
The Science, Technology and Energy committee voted unanimously June 2 to recommend no further legislation on HB1748FN, citing the bill's size, lack of funding for staff and concerns that it would create an ill-defined authority outside existing oversight.
In an executive session June 2, the New Hampshire House Science, Technology and Energy committee voted 14-0 to recommend no further legislation on House Bill 1748FN, a proposal to establish the New Hampshire Energy Efficiency and Resource Development Authority.
The committee's motion, made by Representative Corman and seconded by Representative Harrington, followed a work-session review in which members raised repeated concerns that the draft bill was "too big" and insufficiently detailed to implement. Committee members said the proposal would move functions currently handled by the New Hampshire Saves program into a new entity without appropriating funds to hire staff or clearly defining oversight and accountability.
"This is regretfully what I would call one of the magic pill bills," Representative Harrington said during the discussion, arguing the measure would expand government without reliably reducing consumer energy costs. Representative McGee urged caution as well, saying New Hampshire Saves is "award-winning" and questioning why its functions would be recreated under a new entity.
Other members echoed those concerns, calling for the bill to be divided into smaller, implementable parts or rewritten. Representative Bernardi said the bill had a vision but its structure and implementation were unworkable; Representative Schneller described it as creating an "ill-defined authority." Representative McGee and others also noted language in the draft that could place currently pooled funds — including Reggie money referenced in the bill — under an entity not subject to the same government review.
After debate, the clerk called the roll and recorded a unanimous vote of 14 in favor of the committee's motion to not recommend the bill for future legislation. Representative Corman was asked to draft the committee report, and members agreed to place the report on the consent calendar. According to committee remarks, the finalized reports will not appear in the calendar until November and the formal vote on adoption will occur in January.
The committee emphasized that the recommendation is advisory and nonbinding; lawmakers or others could still file future bills on these topics, but the current draft did not win the committee's endorsement.
The committee then closed the executive session on HB1748FN and moved on to consider other items on its agenda.
