Meredith Hatfield

The Nature Conservancy NH supports the non-germane amendment #2025-0176h to HB297-FN to create the Granite State Home Mitigation and Resiliency Program proposed by the Department of Insurance. As our state increasingly feels the impacts of climate change and more extreme weather, we are experiencing increased damage to both public and private property - including significant impacts to public infrastructure like culverts, roads, and bridges. We understand that this is also impacting insurance costs and local budgets. We think that a program like this could help property owners take proactive steps to increase the resiliency of their property, in concert with programs such as weatherization. We encourage nature-based solutions to be incorporated into the program design to benefit nature in ways that also provide further protections to private property and public infrastructure. We stand ready to assist with this program as it is designed and implemented.