Utilities

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February 6, 2012

Some Key Arguments For–And Against–Making PSNH Sell Its Generating Facilities

One of the big issues in the New Hampshire business community this legislative session is the push to continue deregulating utilities. The state’s current power regulation model is something of a hybrid between old-fashioned regulation and deregulation. The idea is, there are regulated utility companies (like PSNH, which the Public Utilities Commission reports serves 70 […]

February 2, 2012

Pennichuck Employee Union Sues Nashua Telegraph Over Salary Info

When Nashua bought the private water utility Pennichuck Corp., the town created an unorthodox setup. As David Brooks of the Nashua Telegraph explains: “It is believed that Nashua is the only city in the country that owns a private water utility that is supervised by an independent board but still answers to state regulators, while […]

February 1, 2012

Why The Phone Pole Tax Matters

We’ll admit it: The telephone pole property tax sounds like a dry topic for the 2012 Legislative session at first glance. And at second glance, for that matter. But fortunately for us, John Toole of the Eagle-Tribune took a third look, rustled up some sources, facts, and stats, and managed to make the story not […]

January 27, 2012

Breaking Down Who Does–And Doesn’t–Support Eminent Domain For Northern Pass

Recently the Concord Monitor reported on a Granite State Poll commissioned by a key Northern Pass rival–the New England Power Generators Association. The big news coming out of the study was 68 percent of the 500 respondents were against eminent domain for Northern Pass. But what interested us even more than the overarching sentiment toward […]

January 26, 2012

The Ultimate Economic Guide To The 2012 NH Legislative Session

As the New Hampshire legislature begins whittling down a bevy of economy-related bills, we thought it would be helpful to offer you a brief, on-going roundup of what we believe are some key economic issues the General Court will be looking at, and why. We’ve also included resources if you’d like to research and track […]

January 23, 2012

Will Northern Pass Create Jobs? It Depends On Which Study You Believe

One of the main questions that lingers over Northern Pass is: Will it create jobs, especially in the struggling North Country? And, befitting the layers of controversy surrounding the project, the simplest answer won out. It depends on who you ask. Today, the New England Power Generators Association released a report it commissioned from PolEcon […]

January 18, 2012

Why Eminent Domain Bills Are Center Stage In Northern Pass Controversy

Thanks to the ongoing Northern Pass controversy, eminent domain–when the government forces landowners to sell their property to benefit a project for the public good–has become one of the 2012 legislative session’s key issues. And thanks to the Forest Society, the issue’s gained a greater sense of urgency Here’s the nutshell version: Last month, the […]

October 17, 2011

Northern Pass Developers Offer Big Money For Little Bits Of Land

First of all, if you haven’t read Annmarie Timmins’ article in the Concord Monitor about Northern Pass developers offering big paydays to North Country landowners, you need to. Seriously. The link’s right here. But if you’re strapped for time and just want the highlights reel, we’ve got the condensed version of Timmins’ reporting.

October 12, 2011

Home Heating Prices To Hit Record High In Northeast

New England will have record heating costs this winter Households in the Northeast that use oil for heat will pay record prices this winter–that’s according to a new federal report from the US Energy Information Administration. Heating oil prices are expected to increase by almost ten percent this winter. The price of oil has doubled […]

September 30, 2011

New Objections To Northern Pass

There’s another wrinkle in the Northern Pass controversy, with a number of smaller New England utilities–and potential Northern Pass competitors–coming out in opposition to the project. Annmarie Timmins reports today in the Concord Monitor that the New England Power Generators Association objects to Northern Pass on a number of grounds: “Changes to the state’s eminent […]