Also on today’s menu:
Voters Reject Exemption For Solar Arrays
House Limits No-Knock Warrants
Success Leads To A New Challenge
Judge Joseph Laplante of the U.S. District Court in New Hampshire sent a question to the New Hampshire Supreme Court: When someone is wrongfully exposed to a toxic substance in New Hampshire, can a polluter be forced to pay for the costs of the medical testing needed to monitor potential illnesses?
People living near the Saint Gobain manufacturing facility in Merrimack who say they were exposed to PFOA, a PFAS chemical that may lead to increased risks of health problems, had sued the company to have their testing covered.
The Supreme Court ruled that they cannot seek the costs of medical testing from polluters if they are not currently sick. It cited Governor Chris Sununu’s veto of a 2020 bill that would have allowed medical monitoring claims in state courts.
Heidi Trimarco, a lawyer with the Conservation Law Foundation, which had filed an amicus brief in the case on behalf of organizations advocating for PFAS remediation and polluter responsibility, said the ruling means that those who have been exposed to toxic substances will need to pay for their own medical monitoring until they potentially develop a disease, at which time they can try to recover their costs from the polluter. “This is a matter of basic fairness,” she said. “The polluter who puts a toxic substance into the environment and into people’s water should be … held responsible for the medical tests that are necessary as a result of the pollution.”
Voters Reject Exemption For Solar Arrays
A petitioned warrant article that would have provided a property tax exemption for those with solar arrays generated the most discussion during Bristol Town Meeting on March 18. After passing one amendment and rejecting another, voters ultimately decided they did not want any change in how solar systems are taxed.
Members of the Bristol Energy Committee, who led the petition drive, argued that an arbitrary assessment of $500 per panel is not fair or proportional. Members of the board of selectmen, speaking as individuals, argued that removing the special assessment on solar arrays would result in lost revenue that would force other taxpayers to pick up the difference.
The New Hampshire Department of Revenue Administration’s Solar Energy Systems Exemption Report for 2020 lists 132 communities offering 3,628 solar exemptions, resulting in $1,403,325 in “lost revenue”. That averages about $387 for each solar homeowner — money that still has to be collected to cover town expenses. Residents argued that it means other taxpayers are subsidizing those who can afford to install solar installations.
House Limits No-Knock Warrants
Since a Minneapolis SWAT officer shot Amir Locke while serving a no-knock warrant during a homicide investigation in 2022, there has been a growing consensus that the risks of the tactic far outweigh any potential rewards. Representative Jonah Wheeler (D-Peterborough) expressed that opinion during the House discussion of a New Hampshire bill that would limit no-knock warrants. He told of his experience with a no-knock warrant when his mother was removed from their home without an explanation.
While restricting no-knock warrants, the bill would continue to allow departments to use the provision if they fear for their lives. Representative Terry Roy (R-Deerfield) said there are instances when it would be more dangerous to announce police presence. “Taking that tool away will result in the death of police officers,” Roy said, arguing that there are times when it would be more dangerous to announce a police presence, such as when an armed gang is on the other side of the door, or when a man has threatened to kill his wife if she called police.
The House approved the bill on a 299-84 vote and it now goes to the Senate.
Success Leads To A New Challenge
The Tapply-Thompson Community Center in Bristol issued a $25,000 challenge to assist with its goal of obtaining additional space for its activities. It raised $165,000.
Now, the board of directors has issued a new challenge, prompted by a donor who agreed to provide $25,000 if the group raises $100,000 more by June 30. Since the new challenge started, the community center has received more than $47,000. The board also has hired a grant writer, Mark Dionne, to apply for additional grants for the project.
The board has purchased the property at 171 North Main Street as the potential location for an additional building that would accommodate a full-size gymnasium, kitchen and dining room, and program space. The current community center, which originally was a Methodist Church, would be renovated to make it more efficient and secure.
Support Our Efforts
Do you have a story to tell?
The News Café is a virtual meeting place where, each weekday, we discuss the news of the day: local, statewide, national, and international. Mondays are reserved for more personal observations which only paid subscribers will receive, while Tuesday through Friday will draw from news stories published by various sources.
The News Café relies on subscriptions, rather than on advertising and grants, for its support. That frees us to provide an independent focus on events and cultural issues without having to weigh whether it would upset advertisers or fit into grant guidelines. Our only obligation is to provide information we believe is useful to our readers.
Subscriptions to this newsletter are available for as little as $5 per month. Subscribers can share their knowledge, thoughts, and questions about any topic, and we may select some of those subjects for more in-depth analysis.
If you’re unable to pay but still want to receive all of the free public posts in your in-box, click the Subscribe button and select a free subscription.
Visit us at www.libertymedianh.org