Filed under: Food & Drink
New Hampshire’s Liquor Commission keeps a close eye on the 6,100 liquor license and permit holders in the state, but at least one lawmaker thinks someone should be keeping a closer eye on the commission.
Rep. Rip Holden (R-Goffstown) sponsored three bills this term to do just that. They didn’t make it far, but a fourth bill, sponsored by Sen. Lou D’Allesandro (D-Manchester) is close to becoming law.
“There’s no immediate checks and balance, and there is no balance, to my knowledge, from any branch, in the commission itself,” Holden says.
Continue April 26, 2010
Determining who’s in charge of permitting large groundwater withdrawals in New Hampshire may get a lot clearer with Senate Bill 411, sponsored by Sen. Jacalyn Cilley (D-Barrington). Senate Bill 411 maintains current law—that DES is the sole permitting entity—while also stressing that applicants still must comply with local zoning and site plan regulations.
In other words, says Rep. Judith Spang (D-Durham), chair of a special groundwater study commission, “The fact that they may have a permit does not guarantee them the ability to do the withdrawal if it doesn’t meet local ordinances.” The House Resources, Recreation and Development Committee takes up the bill with a public hearing on April 6.
A tug-of-war about who has final say has mired the groundwater permit process for several years, since the USA Springs bottled water controversy erupted in Nottingham.
Continue March 29, 2010
More of New Hampshire agriculture is at stake this year than whether cider or milk is named as the New Hampshire state beverage—although that question is stirring quite a debate.
The House Environment & Agriculture Committee is set to make recommendations on Feb. 18 about genetically modified organisms. Specifically, they’re deciding if genetically modified seeds should be labeled as such, and what rights farmers have if genetically modified organisms from other fields accidentally drift into their crops.
Continue February 6, 2010
