Manuse-Sponsored Chick Law Encourages Small, Family Farms and Sustainable Local Foods

Families Now Free to Purchase Any Number of Chicks to Create Small Egg Farms in Their Own Backyards

DERRY, N.H.—Derry Republican and State Rep. Andrew J. Manuse encourages New Hampshire families to help create a sustainable local farming and food production market by taking advantage of a new state law he sponsored, which allows citizens to buy the appropriate amount of chicks for their own backyard egg-production needs.

HB 1231, effective July 22, repealed a state law that prohibited businesses from selling less than 12 chicks, ducklings or goslings to any one person at a time. Since roughly three chickens produce about a dozen eggs a week, many families held back from buying chicks and raising them into egg-layers because they feared the abundance of eggs that would come from 12 chickens. Others were forced to figure out how to split their purchase with someone else. 

Because of the law change, families can now buy as few—or as many—chicks, ducklings or goslings as they want or need in New Hampshire without the hassle of dealing with a pointless state law. Additionally, people in cities such as Concord, which limits the number of chickens per household to five, can now buy the appropriate number of chicks for their community without worrying about what to do with the remaining birds.

“From my conversations with Derry residents and others, it’s clear that this law change will get more people involved with raising chicks for backyard egg production, and such local farming activity is a great way to help develop a healthy local food supply that will hopefully grow to sustainable levels,” Manuse said. “In fact, my family purchased our first three chicks thanks to this law passing, and we will now have a dozen fresh, healthy, organic eggs every week from a source that we know well. I hope other people take advantage of this law, which will help develop a culture for local agriculture and also help stimulate business at local feed stores such as Derry Feed or Dodge Grain.”

Derry residents Michael and Erica Layon, who have a small flock of chickens of their own, identified the problem with state law last year during a conversation with Rep. Manuse, who then decided to put in a bill to address their concern. Manuse recruited Bud Evans and Ann Evans at Derry Feed to help promote the bill, and the Layons were instrumental in recruiting feed suppliers, such as Jim O’Toole from Dodge Grain in Salem, to testify in favor of the bill in Concord. The Layons both took a couple days themselves to testify in favor of the bill.

“The process was very informative, and we had very good discussions with both the House and Senate committees,” said Erica Layon, a Derry chicken owner. “There was a lot of support for backyard chickens on both committees, with a handful of these legislators having their own flock and numerous others regularly purchasing eggs from backyard chicken owners. Because of the care taken to maintain laws that prohibit chicks from being colored during the holidays, there was no opposition from animal rights groups, and the farm bureau supported the bill, too.”

“When HB 1231 is combined with other law changes this past year, such as a new law sponsored by Rep. Guy Comtois of Barnstead that allows a home-based operation to process raw milk into cheeses, creams and butter for sale, and another new law sponsored by Rep. Jeanine Notter of Merrimack that prohibits government officials from seizing local livestock or other farming goods or equipment from families in times of emergency, New Hampshire is well on its way to restoring a true sense of liberty and personal responsibility that comes with land ownership,” Manuse said. “For the most part, this type of local agriculture is just plain fun, educational, healthy and rewarding. At the same time, these and other changes to state law can provide assurance to astute families that they will be able to weather some of the most troubling potential hardships on their own.”

Co-sponsors of HB 1231 included Rep. Kevin Reichard of Derry, Rep. Carol McGuire of Epsom, Rep. Dan Tamburello of Londonderry, Rep. Ken Kreis of Canterbury, Rep. Tammy Simmons of Manchester, Rep. Spec Bowers of Georges Mills, Rep. Laura Jones of Rochester, Rep. Lenette Peterson of Merrimack and Sen. Ray White of Bedford.

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About Rep. Andrew J. Manuse
Andrew J. Manuse, a state representative for the People of Derry, is serving in New Hampshire’s House of Representatives as part of the House Committee on Commerce and Consumer Affairs, the Joint Legislative Committee on Administrative Rules, the Joint Health Care Reform Oversight Committee, the State Transparency Website Oversight Committee, and the Task Force on State Procurement Policies and Procedures. Rep. Manuse, a husband, father and owner of a successful media-services business, passed several core pieces of legislation this session that advance his Common Sense for New Hampshire agenda of limited and accountable state government, individual liberty and personal responsibility, and spending and tax cuts to support free markets. For more information, visit www.andrewmanuse.com.

U.S. Rep. Frank Guinta votes to pass Red Tape Reduction Act

“It’s time to regulate the bureaucrats who issue all those harmful regulations.”

(WASHINGTON – July 26, 2012)    Representative Frank Guinta (R, NH-01) today voted in support of H.R. 4078, the Red Tape Reduction and Small Business Job Creation Act.   It was approved by the House of Representatives in a bipartisan vote of 245 to 172.     

The bill is a package of several common-sense jobs bills focused on eliminating excessive government regulations and red tape that make it harder for small businesses to hire and hurt economic growth.  It would, among other things, impose a freeze on significant regulations that harm the economy until the national unemployment rate falls to 6% or below; create a streamlined process for consideration of federal permits for construction projects; and permanently prevent “lame duck” presidential administrations from issuing economically significant regulations. 

Representative Guinta said:  “Job creators all across New Hampshire’s First Congressional District tell me the same thing: ‘Red tape is strangling my small business.’  I heard it repeatedly at the Red Tape Forum I hosted in Manchester last month.  Washington’s zeal keeps the bureaucratic paperwork coming – the Federal Register, which publishes all those regulations, is 41,662 pages long and growing.  Small business owners say there’s no way of knowing what new round of red tape will come their way tomorrow.  It’s time to regulate the bureaucrats who issue all those harmful regulations.  This bill does that.”  

The measure now goes to the Senate for consideration.

SEIA - Gov. Christie Signs NJ Solar Bill

Governor Christie Signs Legislation to Stabilize New Jersey Solar Market

Bill addresses uncertainty around solar energy credits in top U.S. market
 

WASHINGTON – New Jersey Governor Chris Christie (R) today signed legislation into law that allows the state’s solar energy market to continue growing and creating good jobs in N.J. over the next several years. The legislation, S1925/A2966, addresses the current imbalance of Solar Renewable Energy Credits (SRECs),  which created uncertainty in the market for project developers and end users. The Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA) worked with a number of stakeholders to advocate for this legislation that was passed by the New Jersey legislature on June 25.  

“New Jersey is the second largest market in the U.S. for solar energy, however additional market  growth was threatened,” said Rhone Resch, president and CEO of SEIA.  “Thanks to the leadership of Governor Christie and our champions in the state legislature, in particular Senator Smith, Senate President Sweeney, and Assemblyman Chivukula, New Jersey’s solar industry will now continue to provide jobs, investment and energy security for years to come.”  

The new law affects many core elements of the New Jersey SREC program. Notably, it accelerates the states Renewable Portfolio Standard (RPS) solar requirement by about four years. Declining costs and an attractive investment environment caused solar deployment in the state to outpace demand. Acceleration of the RPS solar requirement will bring supply and demand in the market back into balance.

The law also reduces the Solar Alternative Compliance Payment, clarifies program eligibility for net metered systems, defines SREC program eligibility for grid-connected solar energy projects, promotes development of projects on brownfields and landfills, authorizes aggregated net metering for certain public entities, and increases SREC ‘banking life.’ See SEIA's fact sheet on S1925/A2966 for more info.  

“Bipartisan support for solar in New Jersey is a useful a model for policymakers across the country,” added Resch. “Solar is an industry that is creating jobs and driving investment in New Jersey and in states across the country. All politicians should take notice.”

New Jersey is the second largest market for solar energy in the United States according to the 2012 Q1 Solar Market Insight report, published by SEIA and GTM Research.  In the first quarter of this year, 174 megawatts of new solar capacity were connected to the N.J. grid. Cumulatively, more than 775 megawatts of solar has been installed in the state, enough to power about 130,000 homes.  

About SEIA:
Established in 1974, the Solar Energy Industries Association is the national trade association of the U.S. solar energy industry. Through advocacy and education, SEIA is building a strong solar industry to power America. As the voice of the industry, SEIA works with its 1,100 member companies to make solar a mainstream and significant energy source by expanding markets, removing market barriers strengthening the industry and educating the public on the benefits of solar energy. www.seia.org.

Background Resources:
NJ Assembly Bill 2966
NJ Solar Bill Details
NJ Solar Industry 
2012 Q1 SMI Executive Summary

U.S. Rep. Frank Guinta stands with our troops and votes to pass Defense Appropriations bill

(WASHINGTON – July 19, 2012)    The House of Representatives today approved H.R. 5856, the Fiscal Year 2013 Defense Appropriations bill.  It provides funding for critical national security needs, and provides the resources necessary for supporting our troops and advancing the nation’s military interests abroad.

Representative Frank Guinta (R, NH-01) issued the following statement after voting for the bill:

“Making sure the men and women who protect our freedom are properly armed and equipped is a constitutional responsibility.  This legislation provides funding that supports our troops here at home and around the world.  It makes sure our Armed Forces remain ready to defeat any threat to our security that may arise.”  

Subcommittee Examines Bass Legislation to Improve Energy Efficiency, Cost Savings

Head of UNH energy systems testifies about university’s success with combined heat and power technology, a key tenet of Bass’ bill

WASHINGTON – The House Subcommittee on Energy and Power heard testimony earlier today from experts, including the Assistant Vice President of campus energy systems at the University of New Hampshire, about how bipartisan legislation introduced by Congressman Charles F. Bass (NH-02) will get the federal government and many businesses on a path to greater energy efficiency and cost savings.

The hearing examined Bass’ bipartisan Smart Energy Act, which will improve the federal government’s efforts to better manage energy consumption, encourage innovations in new energy efficiency technologies by leveraging private sector investments, and set a strategic goal to double electricity production through efficient technologies like combined heat and power and waste heat recovery.  The bill also examines ways to support innovative manufacturing processes to reduce industrial energy consumption.

Bass said:

“Today’s hearing furthered the ongoing discussion about how we can move from focusing solely on the supply side of the energy debate to the demand side as well.  Improving energy efficiency is a clean and cheap way to reduce our energy costs and holds tremendous potential for new innovations and economic growth. 

“I look forward to working with my colleagues on both sides of the aisle on this issue and hope we can move forward on solutions over the next few months that both the House and Senate can agree on as we continue our national energy debate.”

Paul Chamberlin, the Assistant Vice President of Energy and Campus Development at the University of New Hampshire (UNH), testified before the subcommittee about UNH’s success with a new cogeneration system used to heat the campus and provide electricity that has generated an estimated $3 million in savings last year alone in addition to reduced emissions and demand on the regional energy grid.  The university’s new cogeneration system, called ECOLine, is unique in that it uses landfill gas as its primary source of fuel, one of the only institutions of higher learning to do so.

In his testimony, Chamberlin noted his support for Bass’ legislation and specifically the bill’s goal of doubling combined heat and power production by 2020.  Chamberlin stated that “[c]ogeneration also offers much greater efficiency in the way fuel energy is converted into useable forms of heat and electrical energy and thus reduces the demand on our energy supply…Based on our experience at the University of New Hampshire, I strongly believe cogeneration systems should be encouraged as a matter of sound business and good public policy.”

Bass said, “Paul’s testimony today gave members a terrific firsthand account of the benefits of developing and utilizing energy efficiency technologies like combined heat and power.  His leadership helped to move New Hampshire’s largest university toward reduced energy consumption and cost savings for the taxpayer and we can use UNH’s experience as a model for the rest of the nation.”

“I applaud Rep. Bass for his leadership in drafting the Smart Energy Act. We can reduce energy consumption through energy efficiency and the federal government can lead on that by example. This bill is a step in that direction,” Rep. Ed Whitfield, the Chairman of the Subcommittee on Energy and Power, said.

Bass’ legislation has received broad support among trade associations and businesses, including the Alliance to Save Energy, the American Chemistry Council, Dow Chemical, the National Association of Manufacturers, the National Electric Contractors Association, Pew Charitable Trusts, Schneider Electric, and United Technologies, among others.

Kateri Callahan, the President of the Alliance to Save Energy, stated in her testimony this afternoon that “Congressmen Bass and Matheson have drafted a bipartisan measure that will move our country significantly closer toward enactment of energy efficiency legislation this year that can create jobs and benefit the nation’s economy.”

VIDEO of Bass introducing Chamberlin and discussing his Smart Energy Act: http://youtu.be/R7hWDza3P80.

VIDEO of Chamberlin’s opening statement before the Subcommittee on Energy and Power: http://youtu.be/J8FEYbnY-NI.

http://bass.house.gov