Rep. Kat McGhee

Maddy summaryHB 1290 requires New Hampshire's Department of Energy to create rules for the installation, interconnection, and use of customer-owned energy storage systems (like home batteries). These rules will guide the Public Utilities Commission when approving utility tariffs and making decisions about customer compensation for such systems. The bill does not change existing net metering rules or electrical permit requirements for installers. It directly affects homeowners, businesses, and utilities by establishing a regulatory framework for customer energy storage. The rules must be adopted by the Department of Energy, with the Commission using them to approve tariffs and orders.

Maddy summaryHB 1258 requires New Hampshire's Department of Environmental Services to publish PFAS testing results on its public website. The bill mandates the department to include data from public water systems, private wells tested through state programs, and environmental samples like soil, water, and fish tissue. Published data must be searchable by location, date, and contaminant type, with updates every six months while protecting private well owners' personal information. This law directly affects public access to PFAS contamination data and the department's reporting obligations.

Maddy summaryHB 1621 requires developers to complete a baseline environmental study before building or expanding manufacturing or storage facilities larger than 50,000 square feet. The study must assess current environmental conditions - including water, air, soil, noise, and light - and analyze potential impacts, mitigation measures, and alternatives. Applicants must fund the study, conducted by approved professionals, and resubmit it for ownership changes or facility use modifications. The New Hampshire Department of Environmental Services must review the study and make it publicly available with a 30-day comment period before issuing permits. This applies specifically to industrial-scale facilities, not smaller operations.

Maddy summaryHB 1120 requires local planning boards to adopt subdivision regulations for developments with 4 or more units, mandating water supply studies to confirm adequate water quantity for current, proposed, and future uses. It also establishes minimum on-lot private well testing requirements and ensures protection of water-dependent natural resources. The bill clarifies that developers must cover associated costs for these studies and testing, while excluding community water systems and large groundwater withdrawals regulated under existing laws. This directly affects subdivision developers, local planning boards, and property owners with private wells in affected areas.

Maddy summaryHB 1011 repeals a state law (RSA 674:16, VIII) that previously prohibited municipalities from creating occupancy rules based on household size or bedroom count in residential areas. This bill directly affects local governments, homeowners, and renters by removing restrictions that limited how communities could regulate housing occupancy. The key provision eliminates the state barrier, allowing towns to establish their own rules for things like multi-family housing or shared living arrangements. The bill takes effect 60 days after passage.

Maddy summaryHB 63 permits children with severe, life-threatening allergies to possess and self-administer epinephrine auto-injectors at recreation camps and schools under specific conditions. It requires written approval from a healthcare provider and parent/guardian, along with staff training on recognizing allergic reactions and administering epinephrine. Schools and camps must maintain accessible epinephrine doses and ensure staff follow-up care after use. The bill also provides liability protection for camps and schools that comply with these requirements, shielding them from lawsuits unless negligence is proven. This directly affects students and campers with allergies, as well as camp/school staff and healthcare providers.

Maddy summaryHB 189 amends New Hampshire's energy strategy framework by removing references to the Energy Efficiency and Sustainable Energy Board from the Department of Energy's 10-year state energy strategy. The bill inserts a new definition stating "clean energy" includes nuclear and renewable sources with minimal or no greenhouse gas emissions. This change streamlines the strategy document by eliminating a specific board oversight reference while establishing a clear definition for "clean energy" in state policy. The bill passed both chambers, was signed by the governor, and takes effect September 13, 2025.

Maddy summarySB 228 revises regulations for net energy metering, affecting customer-generators, community solar projects, and municipal entities. It allows customer-generators to participate as group members in net metering arrangements, provided they are not the host. The bill mandates the authorization of at least two new low-moderate income community solar projects annually per utility and triples the aggregate capacity limit for these projects to 18 megawatts. It also refines how group hosts are compensated to ensure payments do not exceed the group's total electricity costs, and expands the definition of "political subdivision" for municipal host eligibility to include nonprofit educational institutions.

Maddy summarySB 230 proposes updates to the legal definitions related to electric utility restructuring and distributed energy resources. The bill establishes a new definition for "Small modular reactors" (SMRs), specifying them as advanced nuclear reactors with a power capacity of up to 300 megawatts. It then modifies the definition of "Distributed energy resources" to explicitly include these newly defined SMRs. This change would allow SMRs to be considered among the resources used for strategies like reducing line losses or supporting voltage regulation within the electric distribution system.