FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
September 15, 2016
Concord, NH – Today, Senate President Chuck Morse (R-Salem) and Speaker Shawn Jasper (R-Hudson) announced the formation of a Task Force to review the options for the State of New Hampshire as Concord Steam plans to cease operations in May 2017.
The Concord Steam Task Force includes Senator Gary Daniels (R-Milford), who will chair the task force, Senator Jeb Bradley (R-Wolfeboro) and Senator Lou D’Allesandro (D-Manchester), Representative Richard Hinch (R- Merrimack), Representative Steve Shurtleff (D-Penacook), Representative Lynne Ober (R-Hudson) and Representative Gene Chandler (R-Bartlett).
“With the impending closure of Concord Steam, which supplies the heat for a number of state office buildings, we need to develop a plan to keep costs low while providing energy efficient replacement options early next spring,” said Senate President Chuck Morse (R-Salem). “The task force will be chaired by Senator Gary Daniels, whose experience serving as chair on the Capital Budget Committee will serve us well in guiding the rest of the legislators to find the best option for the state. The Task Force will produce recommendations and legislation that we hope to fast track early next session.”
“It is important that we address the issue of Concord Steam sooner rather than later,” said Speaker Shawn Jasper (R-Hudson). “There are several options for the state to study and I look forward to working with my colleagues in both the House and Senate to come up with a solution that best serves the interests of the taxpayers of New Hampshire. The State House and 25 state office buildings are affected by this move. Hopefully it will be an opportunity for us to cut our heating bills significantly while maintaining energy efficiency throughout our buildings.”
“We realize that losing Concord Steam in such a short period of time will require a well-devised plan to come together quickly, which is why I am encouraged by Senator Morse’s and Speaker Jasper’s call for this Task Force to begin work right away,” said Senator Gary Daniels (R-Milford).
“We have our work cut out for us in the next two months to find a solution that can be implemented seamlessly once Concord Steam goes offline. I believe we all agree that replacing the heating system that serves a number of state buildings needs to be both cost effective and energy conscious, and I look forward to meeting with other Task Force members and Administrative services to begin our discussions on September 29.”
The Concord Steam Task Force will hold its first public meeting on September 29 at 2:00 p.m. and the final report is due by Thursday, December 1.
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