HB 1205
(New Title) prohibiting state and county owned lands from participating in timber carbon sequestration projects.
Official record at gencourt.state.nh.us ↗Open this bill in the searchable view → · Follow this bill by RSS
On the record
Quoted from the General Court bill status page, not worked out from the docket.
| Status | SIGNED BY GOVERNOR |
|---|---|
| In the House | CONCURRED |
| In the Senate | PASSED/ADOPTED WITH AMENDMENT |
| Introduced | 1/7/2026 |
| Floor date | 4/9/2026 |
| LSR number | 2591 |
| Chapter | 0051 |
| Local government impact | no |
| Committee code | H18 |
Where it stands
House: CONCURRED · Senate: PASSED/ADOPTED WITH AMENDMENT
Every floor vote on this bill was a voice or division vote, so there is no record of how individual legislators voted.
A bill goes on the consent calendar when the committee vote was unanimous or nearly so, and any members who dissented did not object to placing it there. It then passes without floor debate. Ten members may file a petition to pull a bill off the consent calendar and have it debated and voted on separately.
Sponsors
Davis, Arnold(R) Coos 2, Cole, Brian(R) Hills 26, Durkin, Sean(R) Coos 1, Tierney, James(R) Coos 1
Prime sponsor in bold. From the General Court sponsor file.
What happened
Every action recorded in the official docket, in order. Each line ends with the journal or calendar that recorded it; where we have the document, that citation links to it.
- January 7, 2026Introduced 01/07/2026 and referred to Municipal and County Government
- January 13, 2026Public Hearing: 01/13/2026 11:45 am GP 154
- January 13, 2026Executive Session: 01/13/2026 11:45 am GP 154
- January 27, 2026Committee Report: Ought to Pass 01/13/2026 (Vote 13-1; CC)
- February 5, 2026Ought to Pass: MA VV 02/05/2026
- February 5, 2026Introduced 02/05/2026 and Referred to Energy and Natural Resources
- March 10, 2026Hearing: 03/10/2026, Room 103, SH, 09:30 am
- March 18, 2026Committee Report: Ought to Pass with Amendment # 2026-1132s, 03/26/2026; Vote 5-0; CC
- March 26, 2026Committee Amendment # 2026-1132s, AA, VV; 03/26/2026
- March 26, 2026Ought to Pass with Amendment #2026-1132s, MA, VV; OT3rdg; 03/26/2026
- April 9, 2026House Concurs with Senate Amendment 2026-1132s (Rep. Pauer): MA VV 04/09/2026
- April 23, 2026Enrolled Adopted, VV, (In recess 04/23/2026)
- April 23, 2026Enrolled (in recess of) 04/23/2026
- May 12, 2026Signed by Governor Ayotte 05/08/2026; Chapter 51; eff. 07/07/2026
Votes
Roll call tallies and individual votes from the General Court roll call files. Presiding, excused and absent are shown separately: one member presides over each House roll call and does not vote except to break a tie.
Ought to Pass
Decided on a voice vote. Only the outcome was recorded — there is no count of how any member voted.
Ought to Pass with Amendment #2026-1132s
Decided on a voice vote. Only the outcome was recorded — there is no count of how any member voted.
House Concurs with Senate Amendment 2026-1132s (Rep. Pauer)
Decided on a voice vote. Only the outcome was recorded — there is no count of how any member voted.
Committee reports
Reproduced from the House Calendar in the committee’s own words.
Committee — OUGHT TO PASS
This bill seeks to prohibit state- and county-owned lands from participating in carbon sequestration projects. Carbon sequestration involves the capture and longterm storage of atmospheric carbon dioxide. These projects generate tradable permits, commonly known as carbon credits, which represent verified removals of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and are sold to other entities to offset unavoidable emissions. HB 123 (2025) imposes a moratorium on new carbon sequestration contracts for privately owned land parcels exceeding 500 acres, pending the work of a study commission. However, that legislation does not explicitly require review of carbon sequestration contracts involving state- or county-owned lands. The majority of the committee believes that benefit-sharing agreements encumbering public lands raise significant concerns about private entities profiting from public resources without sufficient public benefit, transparency, or meaningful community involvement. Long-term carbon contracts may limit the ability of the state or counties to adapt land management practices—including recreation, forestry, agriculture, and conservation—or to respond to changing economic conditions. Such agreements risk locking public lands into lower-value carbon credit uses at the expense of potentially higher-value or more flexible alternatives. Ceding long-term control of public lands for private financial gain therefore raises fundamental questions about stewardship, public interest, and who ultimately benefits. Vote 13-1.
Hearings and recordings
Recordings are the General Court’s own, on YouTube. Start times are estimates unless stated otherwise, and the player opens early.
- January 13, 2026 at 11:45Municipal and County Government public hearing recording 5:37:25–5:45:10, about 8 min (estimated)
- January 13, 2026 at 11:45Municipal and County Government executive session recording (start time not identified)
- February 5, 2026House floor debate recording (start time not identified)
- March 10, 2026 at 09:30Energy and Natural Resources hearing recording (start time not identified)
- March 26, 2026Senate floor debate recording (start time not identified)
- April 9, 2026House floor debate recording (start time not identified)
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