Action Alert

Support N.H.’s Biomass Power Plants (low-grade wood markets)

Senate Bill 129 hearing scheduled

On Tuesday, April 11, at 1:30 in room 304 of the Legislative Office Building (gray building across the street behind the Statehouse),the N.H. House of Representatives Science, Technology, and Energy Committee will hold a public hearing on Senate Bill 129. We need a strong showing at this hearing in support of biomass markets.

SB 129supports N.H.’s biomass markets by fixing a flaw in the N.H.Renewable Portfolio Standard(RPS) law, specifically the biomass renewable energy certificate (REC) pricing for the six independent biomass plants which operate in New Hampshire. To help keep these plants operating, it is vital we pass this bill.

Please attend the hearing, or send emails/call members of the House Energy Committee to voice your support of biomass power and SB 129’s RPS fix.

Attend the hearing

  1. Time: April 11 (Tuesday), 1:30 pm (expect a long hearing).
  2. Location: Legislative Office Building, room 304 (gray building behind the Statehouse).
  3. Attire: Not suits – Dress business casual or dress as if you just came off a job.
  4. Signup to speak: Fill out a pink speaking card with your information and check the “support” box.
  5. Letters of testimony: If you bring a letter of testimony (it is not necessary), please bring 25 copies.

The letter should be addressed to:

Rep. Richard Barry, Chairman

N.H. House Science, Technology and Energy Committee

Room 304, Legislative Office Building

Concord, NH 03301

  1. Other: There will be a blue sign-in sheet for people who do not want to speak but still wish to indicate their position on SB 129. I encourage you to invite any members of your crew or peers to come to the hearing and signin to support (PRO) SB 129. Also, you can signin peers or co-workers opposing the bill[A1] if they can’t make it to the hearing. You will need to include the town they are from and their phone number. We need a lot of boxes checked PRO on this sign-in sheet!
  1. Presentation: Limit your comments to three to five minutes. Here is a basic outline for your presentation, with a few suggested points we are pushing:
  • Introduce yourself and company
  • Town where you are based, live, own land, or work (geography matters)
  • # employees (gross payroll figure would be good),
  • # of subcontractors you support (e.g. how much you spend for repairs, fuel, etc.),
  • Volume of wood you move or mill annually, or acres of land you own.
  • Thank the committee for the opportunity to testify in support of Senate Bill 129. This billis vital for the continued operation of the state’s six independent biomass power plants, and thus it impacts your ability to manage your land or run your business (this will depend on the type of business you have). These impacts include:
  • Execute forestry prescriptions
  • Cash-flow timber sales
  • Conduct wildlife habitat work
  • Manage forest pest outbreaks
  • More aesthetically pleasing timber sales
  • Create recreational trails
  • Manage your mill waste
  • Although I don’t expect you will get any questions from members of the committee, if you do it is safe to say you are only present to talk about how this bill impacts your forest, management, logging, or sawmill business. It is always good to stress the benefits the state gets from this industry, and that using local wood for energy makes common sense. SB 129 supports:
  • NH jobs (why send NH energy dollars out of state?)
  • Energy diversity (it doesn’t make sense to close local energy power plants when we see big power plants like Vermont Yankee closing)
  • Biomass, because it is a great NH solution to help meet our energy needs
  • Growth of the biomass market asmore and more NH businesses and municipalities use biomass to meet their energy needs (e.g., the Grafton County complex)

Calls/emails:

These are also very important. Even if you testify or come to signin to support SB 129, it is still good to send an email or make a call.

1.State your support for SB 129’s biomass provisions and the importance of the continued biomass power operations to your timberland ownership, business, and jobs.

2.Introduce yourself and company:

  • Town where you are based, live, own land, or work (geography matters)
  • # employees (gross payroll figure would be good)
  • # of subcontractors you support (e.g. how much you spend for repairs, fuel, etc.)
  • Volume of wood you move or mill annually, or acres of land you own.

3.The success of your timberland ownership/management and/or your client’s business depends on healthy biomass markets to:

  • Execute forestry prescriptions,
  • Support cash-flow timber sales,
  • Conduct wildlife habitat work,
  • Manage forest pest outbreaks,
  • Create more aesthetically pleasing timber sales,
  • Create recreational trails,
  • Manage mill waste.

4. Conclude the letter by thanking the committee for their service to the state and asking them to support Senate Bill 129.

Address emails to;

Representative Richard Barry, Chairman

N.H. House of Representatives Science, Technology, and Energy Committee

New Hampshire Legislative Office Building, Room 304

Concord, NH 03301

Please copy the full House Science, Technology, and Energy Committee (use this link)

5. If you get any feedback from an email or call please share that with Jasen at the NHTOA at r 603-674-8148.

What Opponents of SB 129 might say and our response

We are beginning to see some opposition to SB 129. Specifically, a number of bill opponents are tellingcommittee members that SB 129 is a costly subsidy. This is a gross exaggeration of SB 129’s cost and ignores all the benefits the state receives from a healthy biomass industry.Our response to the “costly subsidy” argument is:

The biomass provisions of the N.H.’s RPS law bring a great return on investment. Although there is a cost, which is less than a utility's budget for tree trimmings, it is far exceeded by the value of the jobs and economic activity the six biomass power plants sustain in the state. The corrections to the RPS SB 129 makes will assist NewHampshire’s six independent biomass power plants to continue operating and purchasingwood chips (1.2 million tons/year). From their operation, the state and local economy realizes the following benefits:

  • 931 jobs in the power plants, forest and local communities ($50.9 million in annual payroll)
  • $254 million in annual economic activity
  • $7.3 million in annual tax and fee revenues paid to state and local government
  • Provides a market for low-grade timber for forestry/logging operations
  • Provides a market for sawmill waste (sawdust and chipped slabs),
  • Provides a market for urban and residential tree trimming.

At the end of the day, the message is pretty simple --Senate Bill 129 will assist in keeping the state’s biomass power plants operating.These plants provide jobs and economic activity to the forest products industry and the state of New Hampshire, and are an important part of the state’s forest products industry. These benefits far exceed any additional costs from the biomass provisions in this bill.

Please call Jasen if you have any questions at 603-674-8148.

I hope to see you next Tuesday at the NH Legislative Office Building.

[A1]??? Don’t you mean “supporting the bill”?