New Hampshire Task Force Calls for 80% Reduction in Greenhouse Gas Emissions
Less energy use key to achieving goal by 2050
June 2009
This paving project in Laconia, New Hampshire, used ash from a waste-to-energy plant to provide road base material, an example of reduced environmental impact.
CMA Engineers, Inc.
The New Hampshire Climate Change Policy Task Force has released a climate action plan that calls for an 80% reduction in the state's total greenhouse gas emissions (based on 1990 levels) by the year 2050.
Created by Governor John Lynch, the task force spent more than a year developing the plan, which lists 67 recommendations for meeting the emissions goal and ensuring economic benefits for New Hampshire along the way.
The plan states that a drop in energy consumption is a key factor in the decrease of greenhouse gas emissions. "The greatest reductions would come from improvements in the building sector, followed by the transportation and the electric generation sectors," according to the executive summary.
Task force members included scientists, business leaders, regulators, environmental groups, and utilities. They worked with stakeholders, ranging from government officials to industry representatives and private citizens, in fulfilling their commitment to develop the Climate Action Plan and to recommend specific regulatory and policy changes.
To oversee the plan's implementation, the task force established a public-private partnership called the New Hampshire Energy and Climate Collaborative, which will monitor progress and issue regular reports.
To learn more, read the governor's March 25 press release or view sections of the N.H. Climate Action Plan.
See more New Hampshire project descriptions published in Conservation Update.
Read recent New Hampshire news stories about state involvement in renewable energy and energy efficiency projects published on the EERE Web site.