New Bill Would Grant New Hampshire Control of Wastewater Permitting

A new bill would see the state of New Hampshire gain control of its own wastewater permitting processes, switching over from the federal control enacted by the U.S. EPA. The bill would afford the state $350,000 to explore steps necessary to switch over authority to the New Hampshire Department of Environmental Services.

Currently, New Hampshire is only one of four states where the EPA has such permitting power. The bill may still fail to pass as the legislation faces further votes, but it successfully passed through the state Senate on March 15, 2018.

According to officials from Dover, Portsmouth and Rochester, the main reason for this new legislation derives from the EPA’s lack of consideration for local tax implications and science when executing the permitting process.

These cities discharge wastewater into the Great Bay estuary and have made a concerted effort to fight federal standards for nitrogen levels that may be present in the discharge.