WILLIAM BELL

February 3, 2025 Members of the New Hampshire House Committee on Science, Technology, and Energy: Our Maine Pellet Fuels Association is a standard non-profit trade association comprised of pellet boiler firms, pellet fuel producers, suppliers to these firms, pellet retailers, and several other non-profit associations. Our Association is not only opposed to HB 219 and HB 567; we consider it fortunate that our Maine Legislature has followed New Hampshire’s example and created very similar programs. Maine’s Thermal Renewable Energy Certificate (TREC) program has specifically enabled a significant number of Maine firms to install modern wood heating rather than fossil fuel heating systems. Of more specific interest to New Hampshire: Our Pellet Fuel Association’s most recent new member is Froling Energy, of Keene NH. Because of that firm’s successful utilization of New Hampshire’s renewable portfolio standard and renewable energy credits, Froling Energy has been able to build on this success and is looking to expand its equipment sales into Maine. It would be ironic and indeed unfortunate, at least in our Association’s opinion, should New Hampshire discontinue these programs in your state. We share, and our Maine Legislature shares, New Hampshire’s concern about high electricity costs. In the event that your Science, Technology and Energy Committee is interested in the work of our Maine Legislature’s Energy and Utilities Committee, I would note that virtually all the proposed bills on cost reduction before our Maine Committee deal with the promotion of solar electricity via net energy billing. We wish you well in your deliberations and thank New Hampshire for having led the way with renewable portfolio and thermal renewable energy provisions. William Bell, Executive Director