Report: NH cut energy use, greenhouse gas emissions in recent years

DURHAM –New Hampshire reduced its energy use and emissions of heat-trapping gasses between 2005 and 2009, a new report from the NH Energy and Climate Collaborative finds. Yet despite what the report calls “real progress,” the state is challenged by rising energy expenditures and continued dependence on out-of-state energy sources. New Hampshire’s Energy, Environmental, and Economic Development Benchmark Report was released Thursday, June 28, by the New Hampshire Energy and Climate Collaborative, a group of volunteers comprised of business and industry, non-profit, and public-sector leaders tackling 67 recommendations of the 2009 New Hampshire Climate Action Plan. The report evaluates baseline conditions over the period 2005-2009 and recent trends based on the goals recommended in the Climate Action Plan. The plan recommends a goal of reducing greenhouse gas emissions to 80 percent below 1990 levels by 2050 while providing significant economic opportunities across the state. Prepared under the leadership of Cameron Wake, research associate professor at the University of New Hampshire Institute for the Study of Earth, Oceans, and Space, the benchmark report examines trends over the five-year period from 2005 to 2009 of 24 specific indicators across six categories: economy, jobs and emissions; efficient buildings; sustainable energy; smart growth; government leadership and action; and adaptation. Where data was available beyond 2009 (nine indicators) the report also evaluates progress. “The report shows that our economic success and a healthy environment are closely integrated and that every sector of society can and needs to contribute to New Hampshire’s energy, environmental and economic development future,” says Wake.