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Watershed Management Bureau
Coastal Program
Coastal and Ocean Policy
Great Bay Siltation Commission
On May 14, 2007 Governor Lynch signed HB 216 (Chapter 31, Laws of 2007) establishing a commission to study the causes, effects and remediation of siltation in the Great Bay Estuary. The commission’s duties include, in part, studying the historic and current sources of siltation in the estuary, studying the impacts of siltation upon the aquatic and riparian ecosystem, studying the recreational, social, and commercial uses of estuarine waters, studying methods of minimizing additional siltation, and evaluating the desirability of remediation. The commission is comprised of 21 members, including members of the New Hampshire House of Representatives and Senate, the Department of Environmental Services, the Pease Development Authority – Division of Ports and Harbors, the Fish and Game Department, the Great Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve, the New Hampshire Estuaries Project, the University of New Hampshire, the Rockingham Planning Commission, the Strafford Regional Planning Commission, The Nature Conservancy, representatives from conservation commissions from towns in the Great Bay Estuary, representatives of water-related recreational interests, and representatives from water-dependent commercial interests. The commission is required to make an interim report of its findings and any recommendations for proposed legislation on or before November 30, 2008, and make a final report on or before November 30, 2009.
At its inaugural meeting on September 12, 2007 the commission elected Representative Judith Spang as chairperson. The commission will hold monthly meetings that are open to the general public.
Links to the text of HB 216, Chapter 31 commission member and meeting information, and other related links are listed below.
The next meeting of the Great Bay Siltation Commission will be held on Monday, May 12, 2008 at 1:00 p.m. at the DES Pease Field Office in Portsmouth.
Commission Information
Meeting Information
Meeting Minutes:
Presentations:
March 6 , 2008:
January 28, 2008:
December 10, 2007:
November 19, 2007:
October 22, 2007:
September 12, 2007:
Related Information:
Tidal Energy Commission
 On June 25, 2007 Governor Lynch signed HB 694 (Chapter 222, Laws of 2007) establishing a commission to study the feasibility of tidal power generation under the Little Bay and General Sullivan Bridges, located in Dover and Newington. The commission’s primary duty is to identify and collect technical and sociological data, and investigate the regulatory requirements necessary to determine the feasibility of building a system for tidal power generation under the bridges. The commission is comprised of 21 members, including members of the New Hampshire House of Representatives and Senate, the Department of Environmental Services, the Office of Energy and Planning, the Department of Transportation, the Public Utilities Commission, the Fish and Game Department, the Pease Development Authority – Division of Ports and Harbors, the Office of Consumer Advocate, the New Hampshire Estuaries Project, the City of Dover, the Town of Newington, the University of New Hampshire, the New Hampshire Commercial Fishermen’s Association, the National Marine Fisheries Service, environmental protection and advocacy organizations, and the general public. The commission is required to make an initial report of its findings and any recommendations for proposed legislation on or before November 1, 2007, and make a final report on or before November 1, 2008.
At its inaugural meeting on August 29, 2007 the commission elected co-chairs, Thomas Fargo, representing the City of Dover, and Kenneth Baldwin, representing the University of New Hampshire, as well as a vice chair, Ted Diers, representing the Department of Environmental Services Coastal Program. The commission also selected the Coastal Program as the lead state agency to coordinate the efforts of the commission. The commission will hold monthly meetings that are open to the general public.
Links to the commission's initial report, text of HB 694, Chapter 222 commission members, meeting information, and other related links are listed below.
The next meeting of the Tidal Energy Commission will be held on Friday, May 16, 2008 at 1 p.m. at the DES Pease Field Office in Portsmouth.
Commission Information
Meeting Information
Meeting Minutes:
Presentations:
February 15, 2008:
January 18, 2008:
September 20, 2007:
August 29, 2007:
Related Links in the News:
- Tidal Energy Coming to Nova Scotia, Renewable Energy Access website, October 31, 2007
- Who Owns River Power, The Boston Globe, October 18, 2007
- East River Fights Bid to Harness Its Currents for Electricity, The New York Times, April 13, 2007
- Tapping the Energy of the Tides, New Hampshire Public Radio, July 13, 2007
- War of the Tides, Bloomberg Markets, June 2007
- New Hampshire HB 694 Passes Senate Committee, Seacoast NRG, May 19, 2007
Tidal Energy Workshop
On February 23, 2007 the New Hampshire Coastal Program (NHCP) and the New Hampshire Office of Energy and Planning hosted a Tidal Energy Workshop at the NHCP Office in Portsmouth. The purpose of the workshop was to provide state, local and federal resource agency staff, regional planning commissions, municipalities, and state legislators and Congressional staff from New Hampshire and Maine with an overview of the technology of tidal energy and an understanding of the many uses and resources of the Piscataqua River. The meeting was also intended to provide insight into the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission’s preliminary permit process for tidal energy projects and the process of energy facility evaluation, siting, construction and operation in New Hampshire. The workshop was held in light of two preliminary permit applications before the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission for tidal energy projects in the Piscataqua River in New Hampshire and Maine state waters.
Links to each of the presentations given at the workshop, the final agenda, and a list of workshop attendees are listed below.
Presentations:
- Tidal Energy: The State of the Technology, Jack Pare
- Proposed Tidal Energy Legislation (HB 694), Thomas Fargo – New Hampshire House of Representatives
- The Piscataqua River: Its Many Uses, Geno Marconi – Director, Division of Ports and Harbors, Pease Development Authority
- The Marine Resources of the Piscataqua River, Bruce Smith – New Hampshire Fish and Game Department
- The Federal Regulatory Process for Reviewing and Permitting Tidal Energy Projects, Christopher Yeakel and Robert Bell – Federal Energy Regulatory Commission
- Siting of Energy Facilities in New Hampshire, Tim Drew – Administrator, New Hampshire Department of Environmental Services, Public Information & Permitting Unit Workshop Attendees
Additional Information:
New Hampshire Coastal and Ocean Wind Energy Meeting
On October 12, 2005 the New Hampshire Coastal Program hosted a Coastal and Ocean Wind Energy meeting at its Pease Field Office in Portsmouth. The purpose of the meeting was to provide New Hampshire state agency staff and regional coastal zone management staff with an overview of the science and technology of offshore wind energy and energy facility site evaluation in New Hampshire. The meeting was also intended to identify tools for assessing potential impacts from offshore wind energy on New Hampshire's coastal resources.
Links to each of the presentations given at the meeting and the final agenda are listed below.
Presentations:
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