CPCNH Committee Hosts Summer Retreat, Identifies Emerging Priorities for 2026

The Community Power Coalition of New Hampshire’s (CPCNH) Regulatory and Legislative Affairs Committee (RLAC) hosted a Summer Retreat in August 2025 to reflect on recent accomplishments and begin shaping advocacy priorities and strategies for the year ahead. Organized by RLAC Chair Clifton Below and Director of Regulatory and Legislative Affairs Deana Dennis, the retreat brought together RLAC Members, CPCNH Board Members, staff, and key stakeholders for a collaborative and forward-looking discussion.

From left to right: Sam Evans-Brown (Clean Energy NH), Sarah Burke Cohen (New Hampshire Municipal Association), Matthew Fossum (NH Office of the Consumer Advocate), and Chris Skoglund (Clean Energy NH) participate in a roundtable during CPCNH’s 2025 Legislative & Regulatory Affairs Retreat.

The agenda featured insights from a range of policy leaders and advocates, including Sam Evans-Brown and Chris Skoglund of Clean Energy NH (CENH), Sarah Burke Cohen of the New Hampshire Municipal Association (NHMA), and Matthew Fossum from the Office of the Consumer Advocate (OCA).

“This retreat was about taking a strategic pause to understand what we've accomplished so far this year and where we need to focus next,” said Dennis. “The participation from external partners helped ground our work in the bigger picture, while reinforcing that our member-led model brings a valuable perspective to the table.”

CPCNH Board Members and participants engage in collaborative discussion during the 2025 Legislative & Regulatory Affairs Retreat, identifying advocacy strategies and legislative priorities for the 2026 session.

Attendees discussed equity issues between default service and Community

Power Aggregations (CPAs) and shared ideas for advancing policies that support local control, energy innovation, and affordability. Clifton Below, Committee Chair and Immediate Past Chair of the CPCNH Board, emphasized the importance of proactive engagement in state policymaking:

“As we prepare for the 2026 legislative session, we’ll be focused on policies that uphold local control, promote competitive markets, especially for distributed energy resources, and advance community benefits,” said Below.

The group also identified several emerging legislative priorities for 2026:

• Advancing consensus-based components of the NH Energy Forward Act, including a pay-for-performance incentive structure for distributed storage and generation, designed to optimize grid and ratepayer value, including enabling energy storage as part of net metering;

• Providing greater flexibility for CPAs to use discretionary reserves through clarifications to the state’s revolving fund statute (RSA 31:95-h);

• Addressing disparities between utility default service and CPA offerings to create a more level playing field for Community Power programs.

To help members stay involved and informed, CPCNH will host two upcoming Office Hours sessions dedicated to legislative and regulatory engagement. On December 5, members can join the 2026 Legislative Preview, and on January 23, the session will focus on Legislative Updates and Advocacy Opportunities, offering tools and strategies for participating in the legislative process.

Additional resources—including CPCNH’s bill tracker, recent regulatory filings, and tools for getting involved—are available on the Public Advocacy webpage. Members and the public are encouraged to explore these materials and support CPCNH’s mission to advance equitable, community-driven energy solutions across New Hampshire.