Panel debates net metering term for municipal projects; amendment fails, bill recommended

The committee opened a work session on Senate Bill 538, which would extend net‑metering eligibility terms for municipal energy projects.

Representative Carol McGuire said the bill would extend net‑metering terms from a fixed end date in 2040 to a 15‑year period after project start. Representative Veil and other members raised concerns that some counties and municipalities had relied on 20‑year pro formas when developing projects and that 15 years may be insufficient to secure financing.

Jim Monaghan of the DuPont Group told the committee the amendment under consideration was intentionally narrow. "It deals with a very limited number of projects that have already filed their interconnection applications," he said, citing Merrimack and Rockingham counties as examples of projects that expected 20‑year revenue streams.

Sam Evans Brown told the committee the core problem is financeability: lenders and developers need certainty beyond 2040. "This amendment and this bill generally is really just about creating stability for the existing projects that are in the pipeline," he said.

The committee considered a offered amendment to adjust the term for certain pipeline projects; a show‑of‑hands and subsequent roll‑call on the amendment resulted in a 4–5 defeat. The committee then moved the bill to executive session and recorded a 9–0 roll‑call recommendation to pass (OTP).

The record shows focus on protecting projects already in the interconnection queue and on balancing lender requirements with broader policy choices about program duration.