CONCORD – Senate Democrats today voted unanimously to override Gov. Sununu’s vetoes of energy-related legislation, SB 365 re: biomass and SB 446 re: net metering. Each veto was successfully overridden by votes of 21-3.
The full House membership, however, sustained the governor’s veto of SB 446. Therefore the solar-energy producers larger than 1 megawatt in size will not qualify for the above-market rate payments for power that they send into the grid. The vetoed bill would have raised the limit to 5 megawatts.
Consequently, SB 365 will become law, while SB 446 will not.
“Time and again, Governor Sununu has failed to sit down with lawmakers to craft legislation that best serves the people of our state, instead relying on his veto pen after the legislative process has concluded,” said Senate Minority Leader Donna Soucy. “It is unfortunate that, in vetoing SB 365, the governor listened more to the fossil fuel industry than he did to the 900 biomass workers whose hard work generates more than $254 million annually for New Hampshire’s economy.”
Senate Deputy Minority Leader Dan Feltes stated, “In vetoing these bills, Governor Sununu put the interests of the out-of-state fossil fuel lobby ahead of the best interests of Granite Staters. I am pleased that Democratic and Republican Senators came together to override Governor Sununu’s ill-considered vetoes of these bills which ensure a stable in-state energy supply well into the future.”
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