Governor Sununu Goes Back on His Word, Vetoes Bipartisan Net Metering Legislation
February 10, 2020
Contact Name: Sara Persechino
Phone: (603) 271-3479
Email: Sara.Persechino@leg.state.nh.us
CONCORD - Today, Governor Sununu vetoed bipartisan legislation, sponsored by Republican Senator Jeb Bradley, to expand net metering. This follows his announcement earlier this year that he would support legislation that would increase the state’s cap on net metering. SB 159, sponsored by Senator Bradley would have raised the limit on net metering from 1 to 5 megawatts, significantly expanding the potential for solar energy in New Hampshire. SB 159 was amended in the House to address some of Governor Sununu’s concerns; as amended and adopted, this net metering bill requires 50% of energy produced by the generator to be used on site, resulting in less energy being put back on the grid. Current statute sets that requirement at just 20%.
After the veto, Senate Majority Leader Dan Feltes (D-Concord) and Senator Martha Fuller Clark (D-Portsmouth) issued the following statement:
“Governor Sununu spent 2019 vetoing bipartisan clean energy legislation, including net metering. Today, he continued his anti-environmental crusade by vetoing a bipartisan compromise on net metering that was sponsored by a Republican,” said Senate Majority Leader Dan Feltes.
Senate Energy Committee Chair Martha Fuller Clark added, “Sununu has a long history of saying one thing on camera and then doing the exact opposite with his veto pen. That’s exactly what happened with this bipartisan net metering bill, which made significant concessions to alleviate the governor’s purported concerns. Sununu’s latest clean energy veto makes clear that he is more concerned with helping corporations than expanding New Hampshire’s potential for solar energy and saving our ratepayers money and reducing local property taxes.”
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