New Hampshire
NH regulators reject Unitil plan to shift some costs to community power customers
New Hampshire energy regulators have rejected a proposal from Unitil to charge all customers in their area for the additional costs incurred by their own electricity supply programs, instead of just the customers enrolled in those programs.
State officials, community power advocates, and commercial suppliers had opposed that plan, saying it would harm competition in the energy industry and could violate state law.
The Community Power Coalition of New Hampshire called the rejection a “significant victory for consumers, municipalities, and the competitive energy market.” The change could have raised prices for their customers, who rely on utility companies to deliver power but get their actual supply of electricity through their town or county.
Unitil, one of the state’s three main utility companies, made the proposal after the Public Utilities Commission directed the company to submit a filing with a position on how reconciliation charges should be managed.
But what is a reconciliation charge? And why does it matter? Let’s break it down.
When you get an electricity bill, you’re paying a rate that your utility company estimates will cover their costs for buying you that electricity.
But in New Hampshire, rates are set twice a year, and in that time period things can change. So rates also include reconciliations from the previous time period – added charges if the company underestimated costs, or reimbursements if the company overestimated.
Those reconciliation charges show up on the bills of people who use that electricity: utility “default supply” customers. That doesn’t include those enrolled in community power, who are charged for their electricity supply through their town or county’s program. And it also doesn’t include anyone using a competitive energy supplier.
Two changes have shifted the dynamics of utility rates in recent months and put reconciliation charges front and center.
First, more and more customers are moving to community power programs, leaving utilities with fewer people using their default service. Sixty-four municipalities and four counties are enrolled in community power programs with the Community Power Coalition of New Hampshire, with other communities using contractors like Standard Power.
And second, New Hampshire state regulators have directed the state’s investor-owned utilities – Unitil, Eversource and Liberty – to use a new process for buying power. Instead of locking in prices for six months, they’re now expected to buy some power from a shorter-term “spot market.”
That introduces more uncertainty to utility costs, said New Hampshire’s consumer advocate Don Kreis, and exposes customers to more risk.
That makes the question of reconciliation charges more pressing. Who should foot the bill if a heat wave or a cold snap makes prices skyrocket in the middle of a rate period, and the cost of electricity is much higher than what a utility predicted?
That’s where this decision comes in. Unitil asked regulators to approve a plan to collect those costs from everybody they deliver power to, even people buying their electricity from other suppliers. The company argued that was an equitable solution. Their default service is considered a last resort for customers who may not wish to join an alternative supplier – a “safety net” of sorts.
Additionally, Unitil said, the increasing popularity of community power programs has caused their own programs to take a major hit. That means, the company says, that customers using the “safety net” electricity supply are paying higher rates to reconcile underestimated costs.
Unitil proposed adding reconciliation costs to a part of the electric bill everyone pays, including people who have their power delivered by Unitil but provided through a different supplier.
In the order regulators issued this week, the Public Utilities Commission directs Unitil to keep collecting reconciliation costs only from customers signed up for their utility’s default energy supply.
But, the commission left the question somewhat open, saying they may explore changes to reconciliations in the future. Other utilities have similar questions still pending with the commission.
A New Hampshire motorcyclist who had been missing since the Fourth of July was found dead in Shelburne late Thursday night.
State police say they received a request from the Berlin Police Department just after 7:30 p.m. Thursday for help locating 41-year-old Wesley Grondin — the Berlin man was last seen riding his motorcycle on Saturday, July 4, and had been reported missing.
Troopers received a call a couple of hours later, around 10:10 p.m. Thursday, from a concerned resident who had been out looking for Grondin along Route 2 in Shelburne. The person told police they had found Grondin dead, along with his Harley Davidson.
According to state police, a preliminary investigation determined that Grondin was riding his Harley on Route 2 westbound in Shelburne when, for reasons that remain under investigation, he crossed over into the opposing lane, struck a post, and came to a final rest in the wood line.
The crash is believed to have occurred just before midnight on July 4. At this time, police say there’s no indication that another vehicle or person was involved.
All aspects of the crash remain under investigation, however. Anyone with information that may assist investigators is asked to contact Trooper Hunter Newsham at Hunter.P.Newsham@dos.nh.gov.
KEENE, N.H. — A Nashua woman who had a town clerk falsely certify a marriage that never happened so she could claim her late partner’s property has been sentenced to seven days in jail, placed on probation and ordered to repay thousands to his estate.
Attorney General John Formella said Wendy Leedberg‑Snow, 60, turned to Winchester Town Clerk Jim Tetreault after the death of her longtime partner, Eric Leedberg — who was born in Lowell — using the falsified license to pose as his spouse and lay claim to property from his estate, an effort prosecutors describe as an attempt to rewrite the couple’s history for financial gain.
“This case involved a deliberate effort to manipulate official government records and exploit the death of a loved one for personal financial gain,” Formella said in a press release announcing the sentencing. “Our vital records system depends on honesty and integrity, and those who seek to corrupt that system will be held accountable. I want to thank the investigators and prosecutors whose work ensured justice for the victim’s family.”
According to Leedberg’s obituary, he was 53 when he died on Oct. 12, 2023, following a two‑year battle with cancer.
In the obituary, Leedberg-Snow is described as his “significant other.”
Prosecutors said Leedberg‑Snow moved quickly after his death, relying on Tetreault’s signature to fabricate a marriage that never occurred and position herself as Leedberg’s surviving spouse.
Tetreault, who was a New Hampshire justice of the peace at the time, falsely signed the marriage license claiming he had officiated the couple’s wedding. He later admitted he never performed any ceremony for Leedberg‑Snow and Leedberg and had no personal knowledge of them ever being married.
Leedberg‑Snow used the fraudulent certificate to obtain property from Leedberg’s estate, including a pickup truck and trailer, and later attempted to influence a witness connected to the scheme.
Leedberg‑Snow pleaded guilty in Cheshire County Superior Court in Keene to felony counts of solicitation to commit vital records fraud, title fraud, theft by misapplication of property and witness tampering.
In addition to her seven‑day jail term, she must serve two years of probation, pay $4,600 in restitution, return the truck and trailer to Leedberg’s estate and comply with a suspended three‑and‑a‑half‑ to seven‑year prison sentence, which means the sentence only takes effect if she violates the conditions of her probation.
Tetreault, who continues to serve as Winchester’s town clerk and “fully cooperated with the State’s investigation,” according to prosecutors, pleaded guilty in April to notarial misconduct, a Class A misdemeanor. As part of a negotiated plea, prosecutors dropped a felony charge of vital records fraud. He was sentenced to 90 days in the house of corrections, all suspended for two years on good behavior, and ordered to pay a $1,000 fine plus a $240 penalty assessment.
He resigned his commissions as a justice of the peace and bail commissioner and agreed not to seek recommissioning as a justice of the peace or notary public during the two‑year suspension period.
Tetreault could not be reached for comment at his office number.
Follow Aaron Curtis on X @aselahcurtis, or on Bluesky @aaronscurtis.bsky.social.
SARGENT’S PURCHASE – On Saturday, personnel from multiple rescue crews teamed up to help an injured woman get off of Mt. Washington to seek medical treatment.
At approximately 7:45 AM, New Hampshire Fish and Game Department Conservation Officers were notified that a staff member at the Appalachian Mountain Club (AMC) Lakes of the Clouds Hut had taken a serious fall at the hut and was left unable to walk.
Fish and Game subsequently mobilized search and rescue personnel to come and help evacuate the young woman from her remote location.
By 10:00 AM, members of the Androscoggin Valley Search and Rescue Team (AVSAR), Pemigewassett Valley Search and Rescue Team (Pemi), AMC and Fish and Game had gathered at the Base Station of the Cog Rail. The Cog Railway generously donated room on their trains, and rescuers and equipment were given rides up Mt. Washington to the West Side Trail, which allowed for a shorter and less strenuous 1.6 mile hike than other routes.
By 11:20 AM rescuers were at the hut with the patient. The patient was subsequently packaged in a litter and prepared for an overland carryout back to the Cog tracks.
Rescue personnel made steady progress, and by 2:15 PM had made it back across West Side Trail and to the train tracks. A Cog Railway train picked up the whole rescue party and brought everyone back down the mountain. Once roadside, the patient was evaluated by personnel from Twin Mountain Fire and Rescue.
She was ultimately driven from the scene by a friend and went to Memorial Hospital in North Conway for further evaluation
and treatment of multiple injuries related to her fall. The patient was identified as Cali Turner, 26, of Willimantic, Maine.
Fish and Game would like to thank all of the people and organizations involved in this rescue effort. Through the help of everyone, the rescue was a great success and got done in a timely manner.
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