Climate Deniers — 350NH Action

There are elected officials in NH who deny that the climate crisis is happening and that it is influenced by people. So what?

For the last two years, the House Science, Technology, and Energy Committee has been run by climate deniers, preventing any meaningful climate legislation and rolling back progress on renewable energy in the state. Even the few environmental bills that made it to Governor Sununu’s desk were vetoed. We cannot allow climate deniers to run our energy policy any more, or we will continue to burn fossil fuels at the expense of our wallets and our planet.

Our politicians’ climate-denying philosophies are causing real damage to New Hampshire.

Utility Bills: Starting in August 2022, Granite Staters’ energy rates doubled. Then in 2024, Eversource introduced a 42% rate hike. Misguided energy policies led to our over-reliance on fracked methane gas and is a large reason for this.
Pollution: NH is home to the last major coal-fired power plant in New England and over-reliant on out-of-state fracked methane gas. Coal runoff and gas leaks are polluting our air, water, and land.
Health: studies show that closing coal plants and reducing fossil fuel burning improves the overall health of a community. By continuing to prioritize the fossil fuel industry, Granite Staters are getting sick from the air and water pollution from polluting runoff, gas leaks, and burning fossil fuels.
Energy Independence: most of our energy resources are shipped from out-of-state coal mines and fracking operations. If we were to use local resources available to us (wind and solar!), we wouldn’t have to rely on out-of-state companies.
Droughts, Fires, and Floods: climate disasters are more common the worse climate change gets. By failing to reduce greenhouse gas emissions or pass policy to protect our environment, NH is more likely to experience more drastic droughts, wild fires, and floods.
Climate: Every other New England state has emission reduction goals. NH is behind. Our elected officials are failing us when they fail to make any plans or goals to address this very real crisis we are all facing.

Climate Deniers from NH Regularly Introduce legislation written by lobbyists and organizations that are funded by big oil and fossil fuel coRporations like:

Koch Industry: a huge U.S. corporation with political influence bought buy the wealthy Koch family, who’ve been funding climate change denial since the beginning. They block clean energy and back corporations like Exxon.

Americans for Prosperity is a far-right political advocacy group funded by the Koch brothers.

ALEC: a far-right legislative exchange council that writes bills that our legislators have used to promote disinformation and uncertainty about climate change.

The Josiah Bartlett Center: a NH-based free market think tank funded by right-wing billionaires and with close ties to climate denier Michael Sununu.

MEEt the legislators blocking climate action

Jeanine Notter - Hillsborough 21

She stated on her TV program that she thinks it OK for birds to eat plastic. She doesn’t believe that we have any problems in our environment.

“Honestly I spent the first seven years of my life breathing Smog and I run marathons so…and the air in New Hampshire is so much better is so it's so so much better. I don't know why anybody would want to spend all that money and tax us to death to fix a problem that is so small and would have such a little effect.”

Michael Vose - Rockingham 5

He’s a good old fashioned climate denier. He doesn’t believe in human-caused climate change but he’s the chair of the House Science, Technology and Energy Committee.

“A quick search about global warming will turn up a surprising wealth of scientific studies by credentialed authors that cast serious doubt on the claims of impending disaster. But people purporting to believe in science dismiss these studies as somehow invalid.”

He agrees with people like the President of the Josiah Bartlett Center for Public policy, who recently made this climate-denial blog post.

Mike Harrington - Strafford 4

He actively sponsored a bill to prevent the NH department of environmental services from even discussing a climate action plan. He doesn’t want people to have any local control over their energy systems.

“I believe in capitalism. Letting people keep their money is always going to be more efficient. If it’s cost-effective, people will do it by themselves.”

Fred Plett - Hillsborough 29

He introduces bills to undermine renewable energy use and expansion.

“Kids want to get together, talk about the environment and so on, they can,” said Rep. Fred Plett, a Goffstown Republican. “We don’t need another committee.”

Touted a bill that would prevent towns from enacting their own individual energy policy, making it impossible for towns to build solar arrays.

Doug Thomas - Rockingham 16

He wants to eliminate the renewable energy portfolio standards and prevent towns from building solar arrays.

“This is not the only legislative mandate that raises the costs of electric bills. State programs such as RPS, RGGI, Net Metering, EERS, and Biomass plant subsidies all add to the bill with no benefit to the electric utilities.”

Michael Moffett - Merrimack 4

Sponsors legislation like HR 27 (from 2024) that calls for the inclusion of climate-denier theories in teaching climate change in schools. When testifying for the resolution said "I'm not a climate denier per se," then proceeded to say several statements that deny human impacts of climate change. The video clip can be found here.

Arlene Quaratiello - Rockingham 18

Representative Quaratiello spoke in opposition to HR30 - a resolution the 350NH Youth Team introduced. She said that climate change is highly disputed among scientists. Watch her floor speech here.

Alicia Lekas - Hillsborough 37

Representative Lekas, when faced with HR 30, a resolution supporting better climate change education in schools, responded with conspiracy theories about climate change. She said something about sun spots. The clip is in this TikTok video.

Climate Bills blocked by deniers

increase energy efficiency (HB 1496, SB 205)
develop solar projects for the low-income community (SB 165)
set greenhouse gas emission reduction goals for the state (HB 1664, HB 1496)
create energy efficiency programs in schools (SB 122)
create a statewide energy data platform (SB 284)
make improvements to the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI) (HB 582)
support energy storage (HB 715, SB 204)
support net metering projects of 1-5 megawatts (requested by mayors from 12 of NH’s 13 cities) (SB 159, HB 365)
improved climate education in schools (HR 30)

Do you have a climate-change denying legislator who’s been blocking climate action?

Nominate Your Legislator

Proceed with caution…climate denial incoming