By PAULA TRACY, InDepthNH.org
CONCORD – Headed to the desk of Governor Kelly Ayotte is a bill related to the state’s timber carbon sequestration issue.
The House of Representatives on Thursday concurred with the Senate on its amended version of House Bill 1205, prohibiting state- and county-owned lands from participating in timber carbon sequestration projects.
The prime sponsor of the bill is state Rep. Arnold Davis, R-Berlin. The state is studying the issue of carbon sequestration and its tax impacts as such a practice impacts local and county governments that have traditionally collected timber tax revenue.
The state has a two-year moratorium in place for any new carbon farms and has about a dozen so far.
New Hampshire has traditionally used its forests for timber harvesting but a new way for property owners to make a living off the land is to enroll them in carbon markets, both regulated and non-regulated which allow owners to get money for not cutting the trees thereby making them an offset for companies that either want to or are required to reduce their carbon emissions.
The problem is that that means fewer timber tax dollars that go into local and county tax coffers.
Currently, fewer than 200,000 acres of land in the state are in such carbon sequester markets but the largest by far of those on a new carbon registration is in the 146,000-acre Connecticut Lakes Headwaters tract in Pittsburg, Stewartstown and Columbia, now owned by Aurora Sustainable Lands LLC.
The land has a state easement on it which was intended to make it available for logging and recreation but since the advent of this market, cutting on the land has been reduced.
Gov. Ayotte said the state has come to an agreement with the company for a 10-year timber cutting plan which would increase logging from present levels but the details of the agreement have not been made public.
FISH AND GAME PERMIT FEES
House Bill 1199, which would allow the Fish and Game Department to create a permit and fee for the use of its staff by other state agencies, passed the Senate with an amendment on a voice vote Thursday.
Sen. David Watters, D-Dover, said this bill is an important move for the department.
Fish and Game is different from most agencies in state government in that it is primarily funded by license fees and grants.
Sen. James Gray, R-Rochester, said he wanted to modify the financial note on the bill which makes the account non-lapsing so they won’t have to come back for permission to use the funds.
This allows the bill to not have to go to the Senate Finance Committee. That was agreed to.
VOTER REGISTRATION FOR INDIGENT VOTERS
House Bill 365 relative to proof to vote passed on a voice vote despite an attempt to amend it by Democrats.
ACADEMIC RESEARCH ANALYST TABLED
House Bill 1808-FNA was tabled and could come back if funding is found to spend $160,000 for creation of a new position within the Department of Education for an academic research and improvement performance data analyst. Sen. Watters said this is an important bill and he hoped that the state would be able to find the money for the position this year.
ATC TO OPERATE FOR PROFIT TABLED
House Bill 54-FN, which would allow Alternative Treatment Centers that provide medical cannabis to operate for-profit was tabled by the Senate Thursday.
Sen. Debra Altschiller, D-Stratham, said HB 54 is not a mandate but an option for ATCs to choose whether to remain as non-profit or be able to take advantage of lower interest rates.
RULES CHANGE
Added to the Senate calendar as an addendum was a rules change that passed on a voice vote to require at least two members, not one, to request removal of any bill or resolution listed on the consent calendar.
It comes after Senate President Sharon Carson, R-Londonderry stripped state Sen. Tim McGough, R-Merrimack, of his committee assignments citing a personnel matter last week without public elaboration.
McGough said he has been wrongly treated by Carson.
McGough was on the Senate floor with Democrats and did not attend a Republican caucus prior to the start of the meeting.
On a separate note, McGough asked for unanimous consent to recognize the day as Tartan day in the state.
He noted that since 1996 there has been a State House celebration on the closest session day to April 6 and he was wearing a tie with the state tartan, explaining the colors used for the fabric.