LEBANON — Upper Valley residents will have an opportunity to comment on a wide-ranging list of measures aimed at reducing greenhouse gas emissions in New Hampshire at a public information session at 6:30 p.m. on Thursday at Kilton Library in West Lebanon.
The meeting to discuss a state “comprehensive climate action plan”is being hosted by the state Department of Environmental Services, or DES, and other groups, including environmental committees from Lebanon and Hanover.
DES planners are expected to give an overview of the process to create the plan and take public feedback on the draft measures and ideas for additional measures, Kurt Yuengling, a DES community engagement specialist, said in a Tuesday email.
The meeting will also be a chance for people to learn about “local efforts and projects” that align with the same goals, he added.
DES recently released a list of measures to cut down on greenhouse gas emissions. These measures cover seven emissions sectors and make up the portion of the plan DES is seeking public comment on through Nov. 15.
A full draft plan is scheduled to be released in May. Of the 16.6 million metric tons of carbon dioxide emissions released in New Hampshire in 2022, almost half came from the transportation sector. The next largest category is emissions from residential buildings at 15.9%, a state assessment showed.
With support from a $3 million grant from the federal Environmental Protection Agency, the state is focused on creating a plan that will create “voluntary guidelines” and relies on current programs, funding, and “existing authority” at the state level, “while refraining from proposing new mandates,” according to the proposed measures.
The proposed measures to reduce transportation emissions include constructing more infrastructure for “active transportation” such as walking and biking, supporting public transportation and electric vehicle infrastructure, and moving state vehicle fleets away from diesel fuel.
The state also has proposed promoting weatherization and heat pump installation to reduce emissions from buildings. New Hampshire is part of a coalition of New England states that received $450 million last summer to “rapidly accelerate adoption” of heat pumps in residential buildings.
Upper Valley environmental groups hope that the state plan will complement their ongoing work.
The proposed measures are “very thoughtful, practical and doable,” Lebanon Energy Advisory Committee member Jon Chaffee said. Several are aligned with the work the committee is already doing, he added.
The state is “right on target” in the waste and materials management section, which is important in Lebanon where the solid waste and wastewater facilities are the biggest sources of emissions from municipal services, Chaffee said.
In the building category, Chaffee said he was “sorry” that the plan does not call for an updated building code with more energy efficiency requirements. This is something the Lebanon energy committee has been calling for, but lacks the authority to introduce, he said.
In Hanover, the town adopted a local sustainability master plan in April 2024 that evaluates the same sectors as the state plan, Sustainable Hanover co-chair Yolanda Baumgartner said in a Monday email. She hopes the state plan can work alongside the town initiative.
“We are excited for the state to adopt an action plan that will work with our community to achieve a sustainable future,” Baumgartner said.
The full list of proposed measures including total expected emissions reductions and possible funding sources is online at https://tinyurl.com/5ft8wvxt.
People can submit written comments on the proposed measures until 4 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 15. These should include a name, organization, mailing address, email address and phone number.
Written comments can be emailed to cprg@des.nh.gov with the phrase “Draft CCAP Measures – Public Notice – for New Hampshire’s Comprehensive Climate Action Plan” in the subject line.
Feedback can also be mailed to: NHDES Climate Pollution Reduction Grants, Attention: Kurt Yuengling, Air Resources Division, NHDES Permitting and Environmental Health Bureau, P.O. Box 95, Concord, NH 03301-0095.
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