New Hampshire
NH officials share draft climate priorities that could shape investments to come
New Hampshire’s plan to take action on climate change is getting its first update since 2009. State officials are highlighting incentives and support for electric vehicles, public transportation, energy efficiency, heat pumps and workforce development as top priorities.
The state’s Department of Environmental Services this week released a draft of issues they’ll include in the Priority Climate Action Plan, which is due to the federal government on March 1.
New Hampshire’s priorities focus on reducing emissions in transportation and residential buildings — the sources of the majority of the state’s climate-warming greenhouse gas emissions.
State officials are using funding from the Inflation Reduction Act to create the plan. When it’s complete, it will allow the state to apply for more federal money to help with reducing emissions and air pollution.
The federal government is expected to prioritize projects that benefit lower-income communities and those that can reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 2030.
Almost half of the climate-warming emissions New Hampshire puts into the atmosphere come from transportation: cars, trucks, buses, airplanes and the like. To address that, officials are hoping to incentivize residents to buy electric vehicles by reducing their upfront costs with rebates, making EV charging more accessible, and increasing access to public transportation.
The second-biggest contributor to New Hampshire’s emissions are residential buildings, which often have heating systems that run on fossil fuels.
State regulators reported that a 70% reduction in emissions from electricity generation accounted for the vast majority of emissions cuts in New Hampshire between 2005 and 2021 — but emissions from the residential and transportation sectors only fell about 13%.
State officials hope to address residential emissions by scaling up programs that would get homes across the state weatherized — making heating and cooling systems more energy efficient or adding things like insulation to keep inclement weather outside. The state also wants to focus on helping lower-income households make repairs necessary to start the weatherization process in the first place.
The state’s draft priorities also include expanding the adoption of heat pumps, which can heat and cool homes using electricity.
Workforce development initiatives for trades that would help with making transportation and buildings more climate friendly are also included in the plan.
The state’s Priority Climate Action Plan is due on March 1, and applications for funding to implement the measures are due April 1.
A longer-term climate action plan called a Comprehensive Climate Action Plan is due in 2025, and is expected to include greenhouse gas reduction targets and strategies to achieve those goals.
The state’s 2009 climate plan was prepared by members of former Gov. John Lynch’s Climate Change Policy Task Force with input from hundreds of people over the course of about two years, according to that document.
The latest Priority Climate Action Plan, in contrast, has gone through a much quicker and smaller process. It’s being developed in response to federal — rather than state — policy. Officials have met with residents and stakeholders across the state to get input, but only had about six months to create the plan.
People can share their feedback on the draft of the climate priorities until Feb. 20. Written comments can be emailed to cprg@des.nh.gov or mailed to Kurt Yuengling at the Department of Environmental Services’ Air Resources Division, P.O. Box 95; Concord, NH 03301-0095.
A Massachusetts man was flown to the hospital after he was struck by a car when he stepped out of his vehicle in the breakdown lane of Interstate 93 in Londonderry, New Hampshire, on Saturday morning.
State police say 40-year-old Felix Matos Medina, of Lawrence, had stopped on the right side of I-93 south at Exit 5 just before 11 a.m. to investigate a possible mechanical issue. He was struck shortly after he stepped out of his vehicle by a Chevrolet Malibu and sustained serious injuries.
Medina was taken by medical helicopter to Lahey Hospital and Medical Center in Burlington, Mass., police said. There was no immediate update on his condition.
I-93 southbound was closed near Exit 5 for about 30 minutes to facilitate the medical helicopter’s landing. One lane remained closed for several hours to accommodate crash reconstruction and on-scene investigation.
The driver who struck Medina, identified as David Jodoin, stopped at the scene and is cooperating with investigators, according to police. No charges have been filed at this time, but all aspects of the crash remain under investigation at this time.
Anyone with information that may assist the investigation is asked to contact Trooper Evan Puopolo at 603-451-9784.
State police are also reminding all New Hampshire drivers that Sherrill’s Law requires motorists approaching a stopped vehicle displaying warning signals to slow down and give plenty of space. Drivers are also required to move out of partially or wholly blocked lanes when it’s safe to do so.
New Hampshire
Downtown Shooting | How Much Income Makes Someone ‘Rich’ | Sex Sale Gone Bad On Facebook? Nearby News NH
CONCORD, NH — Here are the Top 10 most popular stories and posts from around New Hampshire Patch sites last week.
- Concord Police Investigating The Death Of A Young Child In The City’s South End Neighborhood: Update: Dakin Street was closed to traffic for several hours during an investigation of a child found dead at a duplex on Friday morning.
- Facebook Marketplace Cleaning Services Hire Or Sex Sale Gone Bad Leads To Stabbing In Manchester: Court docs: Frank Miller of Manchester and Kendra Gokey, a homeless woman, were arrested on first-degree assault and other charges Sunday.
- Man Shot During Dispute On South State Street In Downtown Concord: Video: Breaking: A man was shot in the leg Saturday during a dispute; cops have South State Street from Thompson to Concord closed to traffic.
- Fast Food Chain Closing Locations | Queen City Killing | Meth Distributor Pleads Guilty | More: Nearby News: Also: Best sandwich shop in NH; untimely death; crashes; knife attack indictments; firefighter injured in explosion released from hospital.
- After The Snow Sunday And Monday, More Is Coming To New Hampshire, Forecasters Say: After the storm that is expected to bring 8 to 12 inches of snow to the state, more snowstorm fronts are expected to arrive this week.
- 6 To 15 Inches Of Snow Heading To The Granite State Sunday Night; Wind Gusts Up To 45 mph: Forecasters: Heavy, blinding snow is expected in central and southern New Hampshire, as well as the Seacoast, from Sunday night to Monday morning.
- National Fast Food Chain To Close Hundreds Of Restaurants; New Hampshire Locations May Be Impacted: The chain that closed hundreds of locations in 2024 expects to shutter approximately 360 nationwide during the first half of 2026.
- Police Arrest Man On Felony Charges After South State Street Shooting In Downtown Concord: Follow-Up: David Anziani faces first-degree and second-degree assault, reckless conduct, and felonious firearm charges after a shooting on Saturday.
- Hollis Teen Faces Assault Charge, Accused Of An ‘Unprovoked’ Attack In Downtown Nashua In November: Connor Cook was arrested in late December after being accused of punching another man in the face on Main Street and then fleeing the scene.
- How Much Income Is Needed To Be Considered ‘Rich’ In New Hampshire?: A new analysis details the annual household income required to be considered among the top 10 percent of earners in the Granite State.
Here are some other posts readers may have missed:
Child Death Investigation | Queen City Tax Cap Fight | Fun Things To Do This Weekend | More: PM Patch NH
New Hampshire
Sen. Denise Ricciardi & Jeff Rogers: Stopping super speeders can save lives in New Hampshire
OPINION | WALLY HALL: Arkansas will need more than Robinson’s coerced contribution | Arkansas Democrat Gazette
San Jose Mayor Matt Mahan officially announce run for California governor
Colorado family pushes for change after rare disease clinical trial abruptly ends
27 Wrestlers Named State Open Wrestling Champions In Connecticut Over Weekend; Xavier Dominates Tournament
Law enforcement increases security across Delaware Valley after U.S. strikes on Iran
Florida High School Football Rankings: Top 25 teams – Oct. 21
Cleary's 21 help Le Moyne down Central Connecticut State 69-64 in OT
How old is Bo Nix? What to know about Oregon quarterback ahead of 2024 NFL Draft
99th annual Pony Swim held in Virginia
Indiana Members Credit Union announced as new anchor tenant at Bottleworks District
Mamdani’s response to Trump’s Iran strike sparks conservative backlash: ‘Rooting for the ayatollah’
Activists hail ‘historic’ EU’s decision on accessible abortion
A long-buried recording and the Supreme Court of old (CT+) : Consider This from NPR
2 Survivors Describe the Terror and Tragedy of the Tahoe Avalanche
Iran fires missiles at US bases across Middle East after American strikes on nuclear, IRGC sites
-
World3 days agoExclusive: DeepSeek withholds latest AI model from US chipmakers including Nvidia, sources say
-
Massachusetts4 days agoMother and daughter injured in Taunton house explosion
-
Montana1 week ago2026 MHSA Montana Wrestling State Championship Brackets And Results – FloWrestling
-
Louisiana6 days agoWildfire near Gum Swamp Road in Livingston Parish now under control; more than 200 acres burned
-
Denver, CO3 days ago10 acres charred, 5 injured in Thornton grass fire, evacuation orders lifted
-
Technology1 week agoYouTube TV billing scam emails are hitting inboxes
-
Technology1 week agoStellantis is in a crisis of its own making
-
Politics1 week agoOpenAI didn’t contact police despite employees flagging mass shooter’s concerning chatbot interactions: REPORT