To the Editor:
Do you know what the Public Utilities Commission (PUC) does? During this pandemic, many customers had difficulty keeping up with heat and electric bills. NHPUC worked with residents and our fuel and electric companies to protect the needs of both.
A little extra insulation could save you dollars on your energy bill. NHPUC oversees energy efficiency programs.
From their website: “It is the NHPUC’s mission to ensure that customers of regulated utilities receive safe, adequate and reliable service at just and reasonable rates.”
Governor Sununu recently nominated a commissioner to the PUC, Daniel Goldner, a Texas Instruments executive. But is he a good candidate for bringing New Hampshire into the energy future that concerns us all?
After a public hearing on Mr. Goldner’s nomination, Executive Councilor Cinde Warmington stated, “The Governor’s nominee for Public Utilities Commissioner has thus far been unable to answer questions about energy efficiency, clean transportation technology, distributed energy, or climate change. Despite my letting him know when we spoke the week prior that I would be asking about these topics, he was unable or unwilling to give us any answers in his public hearing.”
Governor Sununu, our state is not prepared for the energy future. Energy efficiency standards are stalled at the PUC. Communities don’t know if they’ll be allowed to create their own energy with solar and net metering. Now is not the time to head our Public Utilities Commission with a person lacking knowledge in the fields of energy, transportation, and adaptation to climate change.
Susan Richman
Durham, N.H.
Susan:
Perhaps it’s just our incompetence—we owe our position to nepotism, after all—but we find it hard to keep track of all the incompetents nominated for high positions by our hereditary governor. So, once again, we’re indebted to you for writing.
The Editor