RSA 362-I:1 Definitions.
362-I:1. Definitions.
In this chapter:
I. "Biogas" means a mixture of carbon dioxide and hydrocarbons, primarily methane gas, released from the biological decomposition of organic materials.
II. "Biomass gasification" means a technology that uses a controlled process involving heat, steam, and oxygen to convert biomass fuels, as defined in RSA 362-F:2, II, to hydrogen and other products, including methane, without combustion.
III. "Carbon offsets" means carbon emissions or other greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions measured in metric tons that are avoided through the development of projects that reduce GHG emissions that would not have been developed otherwise.
IV. "Carbon oxides" means a class of organic compounds containing only carbon and oxygen, including carbon monoxide and carbon dioxide.
V. "Commission" means the New Hampshire public utilities commission.
VI. "Environmental attribute" means any credits, benefits, offsets or allowances, or words of similar import or regulatory effect, including allowances under all applicable trading, compliance, or budget programs, or any other federal, state, or regional emission, renewable energy, or energy conservation trading or budget program associated with renewable natural gas.
VII. "Gas utility" means a public utility providing gas service to customers under RSA 362:2.
VIII. "Incremental cost" means any value received by a gas utility upon the resale of renewable natural gas, including any environmental attributes associated with the renewable natural gas, and any savings achieved through avoidance of conventional gas purchases or development, such as avoided pipeline costs or carbon emission reduction costs, through avoidance of capacity costs or avoidance of any other costs to be realized from the procurement of renewable natural gas or qualified investment.
IX. "Qualified investment" means any capital investment in renewable natural gas infrastructure incurred by a gas utility for the purpose of providing gas service under this chapter.
X. "Renewable energy" means hydroelectric, geothermal, solar, wind, tidal, wave, biomass, and biogas energy.
XI. "Renewable natural gas" or "RNG" means any of the following products processed to meet pipeline quality standards or transportation fuel grade requirements, which may include environmental attributes derived from renewable natural gas or carbon offset products:
(a) Biogas that is upgraded to meet natural gas pipeline quality standards such that it may blend with, or substitute for, geologic natural gas;
(b) Fuel produced by biomass gasification processes;
(c) Hydrogen gas derived from clean energy; or
(d) Methane gas derived from any combination of biogas, hydrogen gas or carbon oxides derived from renewable energy, or waste carbon dioxide.
XII. "Renewable natural gas infrastructure" means equipment and facilities necessary to receive and inject renewable natural gas into the pipeline distribution system by a gas utility.
Source. 2022, 279:2, eff. June 24, 2022.