Advocacy Alert!

Please share this widely with your friends and neighbors.

Below is an important update from our partners at NH LAKES

about three bills that are going to the NH House this week!

This Thursday (2/13), all 400 representatives in the New Hampshire House will have an opportunity to save three lake-friendly bills that will be introduced to the house

floor with motions to kill them. 

Our lakes need YOU to reach out to YOUR representatives before Thursday to let them know why they should OPPOSE the motions to kill these bills. Read more below about these bills and how to contact your representatives.

On January 29, the House Resources, Recreation, and Development Committee voted the following three lake-friendly bills “Inexpedient to Legislate (ITL),” meaning that the majority of the committee believes these bills should not pass. 

• HB 332: enabling multiple municipalities surrounding a lake to form a village district around the lake to protect and restore lake health.
• HB 334: adding a section to the state comprehensive development plan identifying lake and river protection trends and proposing policies and actions to protect our lakes and rivers.
• HB 422: increasing the penalty that the New Hampshire Department of Environmental Services may levy upon anyone violating the Shoreland Water Quality Protection Act.

The votes for each of these three bills in favor of the ITL motion was 9-7. 

How These Bills Would Result in Cleaner and Healthier Lakes

HB 332: 

• This enabling legislation allows municipalities to ask voters to create a village district around a lake to restore and protect lake health.
• The voluntary formation of a village district for this purpose could help municipalities bordering the same lake work together more effectively and efficiently.
• For example, the voters could approve the district's development and enactment of consistent lake-friendly septic systems, polluted runoff, and fertilizer regulations around the lake. 

HB 334:

• The State Comprehensive Development Plan outlines a vision for the state’s future growth, allocates resources, and guides local governments and state agencies in their planning efforts.
• Adding a section to the plan identifying trends in lake protection and proposing policies and actions necessary at the state level to protect them is needed. There must be a balance between future development and protecting lake health. 

HB 422:

• This bill increases the penalty that the New Hampshire Department of Environmental Services (NHDES) may levy upon anyone who violates the Shoreland Water Quality Protection Act (SWQPA) from $5,000 to up to $15,000 per violation.
• Increased fines may deter people from knowingly violating the Act and may also encourage violators to work with NHDES to correct violations.
• The SWQPA establishes a protected shoreland area close to lakes, rivers, and streams. Within this area, vegetation removal, excavation, fill, fertilizer use, and development activities are regulated to safeguard waterbody health. 
• The fines for violations have not increased with the cost of inflation over the years. 

How to Contact Your Representatives

Follow the simple steps below to tell the House Representatives in your district why they should OPPOSE the ITL motions to kill these three lake-friendly bills.

1. Go to the NH General Court website at: gc.nh.gov/house/members
2. On the right-hand side, under “Discover a Town or City’s Representative,” select your town in the pulldown menu or click on your region on the map.
3. The first thing that will appear is the list of Representatives in your town. (Do not scroll down to the State Senator section below. Only the House Representatives will be discussing these bills this week.)
4. Under the Representatives section, click on each representative's name. Their email and/or phone number should pop up. Email or call your representatives. (Calling can really make a BIG impact!)
5. Having trouble? Reach out to Andrea LaMoreaux at NH LAKES, and she'll help! 

In your email or phone call, be sure to:

• Identify the action you want your representative to take. Use an email subject line such as: “OPPOSE the ITL on HB 332, 334, & 422 on Feb. 13.”
• Identify that you are a constituent from their district. (It’s okay if you don’t permanently live in the district. If you spend part of the year or vacation there, they want and need to hear from you!)
• Tell your brief personal story about why they should help save these bills by OPPOSING the ITL motions.
• Remind them that restoring and preserving the health of all of New Hampshire's lakes is good for our quality of life, good for business, and good for the economy. Clean and healthy lakes are good for everyone.
• Let them know how to reach you if they have questions or would like to learn more.
• Please cc Andrea (alamoreaux@nhlakes.org) on your emails.

Thank you!