A bill that would allow electric utilities to own a certain quota of fossil fuel and nuclear generation was endorsed Tuesday by a second House committee. The proposal would enable utilities to own natural gas and nuclear generation for the first time since a turn-of-the-century shakeup in utility regulation removed power generation from their domain. […]

Gov. Kelly Ayotte vetoed a proposed paint can “stewardship program” on Monday. House Bill 451, sponsored by New London Democratic Rep. Karen Ebel, seeks to establish a collection and recycling program for paint cans, run by manufacturers. Ebel said the proposal was supported by industry and intended to reduce waste; the measure passed the House […]

In the late 1970s, when Seabrook resident David Wright was about 9 years old, his father began bringing him along to protest the construction of a nuclear power plant across the marsh from their family home. Some locals were fired up. “They didn’t want a reactor in their backyard,” Wright said. Thousands who shared that […]

Whether they are spotted on private property or public land, wild animals and data about them cannot be “owned,” conservationists said at a Tuesday hearing. “I think I have the right … to both enjoy wildlife as a public resource, and have it continue to exist on my property and my neighbor’s property,” Drew Stevens, […]

With the legislative session well under way, New Hampshire lawmakers haven’t tired of putting forward new proposals for how landfills should be sited and regulated — but finding one a majority can accept has proven difficult. Tension over the state’s waste has come to a head in recent years, with private waste disposal companies pushing […]

The New Hampshire House advanced a restriction on the commercial sale of certain rodenticides Thursday.  House Bill 1676, which would limit the sale of some “high-risk” rodenticides to licensed pest control professionals, received a majority vote of “ought to pass” on the consent calendar. Meanwhile, House Bill 1018, which proposed a blanket ban on the […]

Christopher Ellms, former deputy commissioner of the New Hampshire Department of Energy, was confirmed by the New Hampshire Executive Council Wednesday to serve as the new chairman of the Public Utilities Commission.  Ellms will lead the three-member body, which functions like a court to regulate the state’s utilities, issuing orders on utility expenditures and proposed […]

With truckloads of trash juice laden with toxic PFAS arriving at its facility, a wastewater treatment plant in North Conway is considering investing in emerging technology to help remove the “forever chemicals.” Other towns in New Hampshire are exploring the technology, which is already used by some private companies, including Casella Waste Systems, to reduce […]

A proposal to supply some of the millions required to rehabilitate New Hampshire’s nearly 300 aging dams made it through a House floor vote this winter before dividing the House Committee on Ways and Means Monday.  House Bill 1655, from prime sponsor Rep. Will Darby, a Nashua Democrat, proposes assessing an annual $100 fee on […]

Amended versions of two bills intended to study or address the decline of native insect populations and insecticide spillover in New Hampshire were advanced, while a third was shut down by the House Thursday. All three were inspired by constituent concerns about insect decline, sponsors said in September. Insects across New England and the world […]