Dear Huddle, this is a request from Kate Murray, our New Castle/Rye house member.

Once again Chris Sununu has vetoed bi-partisan legislation. This time he’s supporting jet skis over fragile eco systems in Rye and New Castle. He nixed, HB184, relative to limiting the operation of personal water craft around the marshlands or flats of the Rye estuary and the New Castle back channel.

Please email governorsununu@nh.gov and share your concern. Ammunition is listed below. Volume of response is more important than beautifully crafted. Unless you enjoy venting by writing beautiful emails and then go for it! He can’t reverse his veto but we can show him we are paying attention.    The democratic caucus will talk in the fall about whether they should try for an override.

Thanks for your support,

Mary Ann and Christine

PS Kate has great editorial in today’s Portsmouth Herald

Talking Points

• The bill passed unanimously out of the House Resources, Recreation and Development Committee and then passed the full House session.
• The Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee also passed the bill unanimously as did the full State Senate.
• All testimony was in support of the bill except one person who sells jet skis and does not live in the area.
• Someone from the Department of Environmental Services testified in support of the bill.
• Marine Patrol helped craft the bill so that it was enforceable.
• The bill affords protection in areas where birds nest and fish spawn.
• The bill also provides protection for people who use these areas for non-disruptive, recreational activities such as paddle boarding, swimming, fishing, sailing, canoeing, or kayaking.
• The bill protects an area that is critical in New Castle in mitigating the effects of a storm surge against island flooding.
• The area under consideration in New Castle is a very small portion of the back channel that is either a muflat or under very shallow water about ¾ of the time.
• Jet ski manufacturers suggest that fragile areas be marked off to avoid damaging sensitive areas.
• The area to be marked off does not prevent anyone from going up the Sagamore and people are still able to circumnavigate the entire island of New Castle.