Revision: Nov. 22, 2023, 8:55 a.m.
2024 SESSION
24-2107.0
10/05
HOUSE BILL [bill number]
SPONSORS: [sponsors]
COMMITTEE: [committee]
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ANALYSIS
This bill requires the department of environmental services to conduct public benefit and community impact assessments when the department considers any permit or project to ensure that human values, safety, and concerns receive proper consideration during planning and project development.
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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Matter which is either (a) all new or (b) repealed and reenacted appears in regular type.
24-2107.0
10/05
STATE OF NEW HAMPSHIRE
In the Year of Our Lord Two Thousand Twenty Four
Be it Enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Court convened:
1 New Section; Department of Environmental Services; Public Benefit and Community Impact Assessments. Amend RSA 21-O by inserting after section 3 the following new section:
21-O:3-a Public Benefit and Community Impact Assessments.
I. The commissioner shall direct the department to conduct public benefit and community impact assessments when considering any permit or project administered by the department under provisions of Title X and Title L of the RSA to ensure that human values, safety, and concerns receive proper consideration during planning and project development. Before granting a permit or going forth with a project, the department shall demonstrate that there is positive community impact and a positive public benefit.
II. Assessments of public benefit and community impact shall include the following:
(a) The department shall proactively engage with the community to identify community benefits and address potential negative impacts of certain projects.
(b) Input from members of the public and the community of interest must also be considered when determining public benefit and community impact. Input shall include the community in which a project is located as well as neighboring communities.
(c) The commissioner shall identify impact assessment indicators to be tracked by the department, which are the specific, measurable things will allow the assessment of a project or determine the effectiveness of interventions. Public benefit and community impact assessments can be measured through surveys, polls, one-on-one interviews, or focus groups, as well as other measuring tools.
III. For this section:
(a) “Public benefit” means a material positive impact on society and the environment, through activities that promote some combination of specific public benefits. Included in this assessment is identifying the dangers and/or threats to public health.
(b) "Community impact" includes the outcomes of a community needs assessment and shall be addressed in the following 3 main categories: policy change, systems change, and environmental change. This assessment of community impact shall address any laws, regulations, rules, protocols, and procedures that are designed to guide or influence behavior. Community impact shall include infrastructure needs such as the use of roads in the surrounding area.
IV. The commissioner shall adopt rules under RSA 541-A to implement the requirements of this section.
2 Effective Date. This act shall take effect 60 days after its passage.