NH Supreme Court Says PUC Erred

The Business and Industry Association, New Hampshire’s statewide chamber of commerce and leading business advocate, released the following statement after Tuesday’s NH Supreme Court Eversource/PUC ruling. “Today’s decision by the New Hampshire Supreme Court is significant because, among other things, it calls into question the judgement of PUC participants serving on the Site Evaluation Committee and their ability to accurately interpret the law,” says BIA President Jim Roche.

“The SEC’s decision to reject a permit for construction of Northern Pass in early February was widely criticized by business leaders and BIA for poor judgement because it prematurely short-circuited deliberations on the 1,090-megawatt hydroelectric transmission project. We hope today’s Supreme Court decision will prod SEC members to review their work on Northern Pass and reopen consideration of the sorely needed project,” says Roche.

In a joint statement, Tracy Hatch, President and CEO of the Greater Nashua Chamber of Commerce, and Michael Skelton, President & CEO of the Greater Manchester Chamber of Commerce, reacted to the ruling as well. “The Supreme Court’s decision today is an important step to achieving rate relief for businesses. This decision has major ramifications for energy policy in NH, including the Northern Pass Project, which promised significant rate relief for New Hampshire. In fact, the agreement that would have reserved NH’s fair share of the power flowing over Northern Pass was struck down by the PUC using the same faulty rationale. We hope this decision sends a clear signal to the PUC and the SEC that rate relief for customers should be a top priority going forward.”