Revision: Nov. 15, 2019, 9:47 a.m.
SB 73 - AS INTRODUCED
2019 SESSION
19-0839
10/01
SENATE BILL 73
SPONSORS: Sen. Fuller Clark, Dist 21; Sen. Chandley, Dist 11
COMMITTEE: Energy and Natural Resources
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ANALYSIS
This bill requires the public utilities commission to quantify and establish a range of environmental costs and socioeconomic costs associated with each method of electricity generation when evaluating and selecting resource options of electric utilities.
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Explanation: Matter added to current law appears in bold italics.
Matter removed from current law appears [in brackets and struckthrough.]
Matter which is either (a) all new or (b) repealed and reenacted appears in regular type.
19-0839
10/01
STATE OF NEW HAMPSHIRE
In the Year of Our Lord Two Thousand Nineteen
Be it Enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Court convened:
1 Public Utilities Commission; Energy Planning. Amend RSA 378:39 to read as follows:
378:39 Commission Evaluation of Plans.
I. The commission shall review integrated least-cost resource plans in order to evaluate the consistency of each utility's plan with this subdivision, in an adjudicative proceeding.
II. In deciding whether or not to approve the utility's plan, the commission shall consider potential environmental, economic, and health-related impacts of each proposed option. The commission is encouraged to consult with appropriate state and federal agencies, alternative and renewable fuel industries, and other organizations in evaluating such impacts. The commission's approval of a utility's plan shall not be deemed a pre-approval of any actions taken or proposed by the utility in implementing the plan.
III. The commission shall, to the extent practicable, quantify and establish a range of environmental costs associated with each method of electricity generation. A utility shall use the values established by the commission in conjunction with other external factors, including socioeconomic costs, when evaluating and selecting resource options in all proceedings before the commission.
IV. Where the commission determines the options have equivalent financial costs, equivalent reliability, and equivalent environmental, economic, and health-related impacts, the following order of energy policy priorities shall guide the commission's evaluation:
[I.] (a) Energy efficiency and other demand-side management resources;
[II.] (b) Renewable energy sources;
[III.] (c) All other energy sources.
2 Effective Date. This act shall take effect 60 days after its passage.