Adding to John Mann’s reply to the lawmakers’ wishlist (“Legislative wishlists take shape before new Statehouse session,” Sentinel, Dec. 29), I support any proposal to use all of New Hampshire’s Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI) money to expand energy efficiency and renewable energy projects in the state.
RGGI, a coalition of nine states (in New England and the mid-Atlantic), was set up nearly a decade ago to move the region towards using more renewable energy sources for power and to reduce the amount of energy customers use which in turn reduces their energy costs. RGGI is meeting this goal overall, but New Hampshire is not.
New Hampshire, which rebates over half of its RGGI funds to ratepayers, is the only New England state experiencing energy use increases, according to the Independent Systems Operator New England (ISO New England). Even so, in April of 2018, the New Hampshire Legislature voted against (the House in favor and the Senate against) the proposal to do away with the residential rebate of RGGI proceeds. This was a mistake resulting in ratepayers spending more on energy as our usage increases.
Fortunately, this year in the new legislative body we have another chance to turn the proposal into law. New Hampshire needs to move more quickly to reduce our energy usage overall and our reliance on fossil fuels in general. Reinvesting all of the RGGI proceeds in renewable-energy and energy efficiency programs is the quickest way to get us there.
