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NH LAKES Advocacy Alert!
January 27, 2012
The NH LAKES advocacy program has come out of the gates in 2012 ready to engage in the state legislative and public policy making process, eager to promote our (and by 'our,' I hope that it is 'your') legislative and public policy priorities. We are also launching a new publication - "NH LAKES Advocacy Alert!" Through this periodic e-news blast, suscbribers will learn about what issues we are working on and how you can help. (You can sign up on the bottom of this page.)
The legislative and policy making process is a dynamic and often very challenging environment and we navigate it with care and attention to establishing and maintaining productive and positive working relationships with everyone involved. There are no enemies, only differences of values, opinion, and even tactics - but we endeavor to work respectfully and with regard to all. We are collaborating with the New Hampshire nonprofit community and working to complement the advocacy efforts of our lake association members. Our philosophy is that to be effective in the legislative and policy advocacy arena, we must be part of an ensemble and collaborative effort. This speaks to how we do our work.
What we do is largely up to you - what we hear from you throughout the year, how that is interpreted by the NH LAKES Policy Committee, the political and economic environment that we are working in, and, in the end (sometimes with no time to caucus or confer), our best professional judgment. But, that's what NH LAKES staff is hired to do and will continue to do on your behalf and to the best of our ability.
On this page, you will find a legislative priority tracking sheet and copies of the testimony we have provided to date on specific bills. If you have any questions or comments relating to the purpose or contents of these documents, please contact me directly - I do appreciate and depend on your feedback. What is not conveyed through these documents is the time that we are spending on each legislative priority and the extent of the caucusing and 'shuttle diplomacy' that we engage in to move our agenda forward.
I will tell you that our highest priority remains the Surface Water Quality Protection Act (formerly known as the 'Comprehensive Shoreland Protection Act'). In this legislative session, our primary concern was that our water quality protection interests did not further deteriorate (from the 2011 amendment) and that we at least held the ground that people fought so hard a year ago to establish - for as much as the Act may have been weakened, there was a very real possibility last legislative session of it being scrapped altogether. That threat remained into the start of this current legislative session, but was quickly dispensed with. By all accounts, this will not be the legislative session to directly revisit that Act, although we are monitoring the effects of revised Act and listening to our constituents' concerns for guidance on potential future action.
The most work that are doing is related to Senate Bill 224, relative to the existing ban of lead sinkers and jigs, and trying to amend this law in order to be more explicit and more protective of loons. The Loon Preservation Committee has been the lead advocate and data gatherer (research conducted by Tufts University) on the lethal effects of lead on loon mortality and the data is most compelling. What we do have to contend with is how changes in the law will affect fishing habits and the tackle industry. So, we are trying to understand and be responsive to the concerns expressed by the Bass anglers (in particular). The committee is still out on this (literally), but we will keep you posted as things develop.
Lastly, my thanks to the people in the nonprofit community and public agencies who have guided me thus far, and to the guidance and support of the NH LAKES Policy Committee, most notably its Chair, John Wilson. Keep talking to us so we can speak for you in the legislature and public policy arena.
If you have any questions, concerns, or suggestions, please feel free to contact me at tobrien@nhlakes.org or (603) 226-0299.
On behalf of the New Hampshire Lakes Association,
Tom O'Brien
President and Policy Advocate
Advocacy Resources:
NH LAKES Legislative Summary Tracking Sheet: Key Lake and Watershed Bills
Find your Legislators
Find a Bill
NH House Hearing Schedule
NH Senate Hearing Schedule
Tips on Writing an Effective Advocacy Letter
Tips on Testifying
NH LAKES Testimony Letters:
House Bill 1222: Relative to Application Fees for Permits Required Under RSA 483-B
House Bill 1525-FN: Relative to repealing the wetlands and shorelands review fund
House Bill 1529-FN: Relative to the introduction of fluoride and herbicides into the drinking water of the state
Senate Bill 224: An ACT relative to lead fishing sinkers and jigs
Advocay Related Information:
Loons and Lead: A Dozen Details
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