CONCORD — There weren’t enough seats for the crowd that turned out for a public hearing Tuesday on a bill proposed by state Sen. Jeb Bradley that would allow electric utilities to pass on the costs of new projects to consumers.
Senate Bill 128 is either the panacea that would finally lower New Hampshire’s high electric bills or it would set the state back 20 years, depending on who did the talking in crowded Room 103 at the statehouse.
Sen. Jeff Woodburn, D-Dalton opposed the bill because it would allow the Public Utilities Commission to consider whether Northern Pass could bill ratepayers for construction of the controversial 192-mile transmission line from Pittsburg to Deerfield.
Northern Pass has divided the North Country, Woodburn said.
“I respectfully request that the bill be retained … and not be in such a rush on this matter,” Woodburn said. Senate Bill 128 is an overreach at a time when restraint is needed, he said.
Bradley, a Republican from Wolfeboro who sponsored the bill, said: “It’s against the backdrop of higher electric rates that we have to consider a measure such as this if we are going to do something about retaining businesses.”
Bradley acknowledged that opponents of projects like the Kinder Morgan natural gas pipeline and Northern Pass were in the room. But he insisted that if passed, the bill wouldn’t give an edge to any single project and no project was named in the bill.
Click below to read the full story by Nancy West.