Covid-19 news

On Sept. 4, Gov. Chris Sununu issued Exhibit Q to Emergency Order No. 29, which had been issued on April 9. Emergency Order No. 29 requires state agencies, boards and commissions to submit recommendations to Sununu if any regulatory deadlines should be adjusted in response to the state of emergency. Per Exhibit Q, all continuing education requirements for currently permitted New Hampshire septic system designers and installers who had been scheduled to renew their permits by Dec. 31 have been waived. Exhibit Q also extends certain renewal deadlines for those in the Department of Environmental Services’ Waste Management Division that hold tank operator certifications or hazardous waste coordinator certifications that have expired during the state of emergency.
On Sept. 9, Sununu issued Emergency Order No. 68, an order that expands unemployment compensation to Granite Staters. The order was issued to broaden eligibility for New Hampshire residents collecting unemployment to receive an additional $300 in federal benefits from the Lost Wages Assistance Program, an executive order signed by President Donald Trump on Aug. 8. The next day, during a press conference, Sununu announced that $81 million was paid out to about 57,000 people in New Hampshire through the program.
During the same Sept. 10 press conference, state Department of Health & Human Services Commissioner Lori Shibinette provided an update on the phased reopening statuses of New Hampshire’s long-term care facilities. She explained that long-term care facilities that operate for two weeks successfully in Phase 2 will get to move to Phase 3 if their counties drop below or maintain below 10 cases of Covid-19 per 100,000 residents. Phase 3 allows up to two visitors for each resident at the facility, as well as communal dining and group activities with physical distancing. While long-term care facilities in Belmont and Coos counties were able to remain at Phase 3 of reopening, those in Grafton County fell back from Phase 3 to Phase 2. Facilities in Sullivan County were able to transition to Phase 3 of reopening for the first time, Shibinette said.
Also on Sept. 10, Sununu announced a transfer of $7 million in federal CARES act funding to the New Hampshire Department of Education to support the Virtual Learning Academy Charter School, according to a press release. The public charter school provides online virtual instruction to elementary, middle and high school students in the state. The demand from the school has nearly tripled over the summer, according to the release, with nearly 6,000 students requesting enrollment in more than 18,000 courses.
Details of Sununu’s Emergency Orders, Executive Orders and other announcements can be found at governor.nh.gov.

School funding

The New Hampshire Commission to Study School Funding recently released a report that shows that New Hampshire’s current system for funding schools “may not be working for large segments of students and taxpayers,” according to a press release. The report was prepared by the American Institutes for Research and is meant to guide the commission as it creates a new school funding model. The commission and members of the Carsey School of Public Policy at UNH will examine the report as well as possibilities for more equitable school funding, according to the release, and the commission plans to release its final report later in the year.

Equity in voting

In a letter sent last week to Secretary of State William Gardner, the Manchester Mayor’s Multicultural Advisory Council has expressed concerns about access to voting in the general election. One issue, the letter said, is that immigrants are at risk of missing out on the voting process because materials that explain how to vote are only available in English. “Since expanded Covid-related absentee registration and voting is new and unusual, people who don’t speak English at an advanced level may have difficulty finding out how to exercise their right to vote,” the letter reads. It calls on the state to make the materials available in languages such as Nepali, Swahili, Spanish and French. The second issue is that ballot drop boxes outside of City Hall hours are not allowed. “If there were some drop-off boxes, perhaps at City Hall for a few days before the elections and at the polling places on Election Day, people could drop off their ballots without risk of contracting Covid-19 or having them get delayed or lost in the mail,” the council wrote. The letter invited Gardner to contact the council if he wanted to discuss the matters.

Aluminum tariff

In a letter sent to President Donald Trump on Sept. 8, Gov. Chris Sununu, along with Maine Gov. Janet Mills and Vermont Gov. Phil Scott, asked Trump to reverse the re-imposition of a 10-percent tariff on imports of non-alloyed unwrought aluminum from Canada, according to a press release. The letter said that the tariff will raise costs and reduce competitiveness for aluminum-consuming industries in New England, which would disrupt manufacturing and technical production supply chains. “Ultimately, artificially inflated costs will be passed on to consumers who are already struggling with the economic fallout of the Covid-19 pandemic,” the press release said.

Variance denied

Saint-Gobain Performance Plastics’ Feb. 11, 2021, deadline for completing construction and installation of a regenerative thermal oxidizer at its Merrimack facility, meant to control the emission of perfluorinated chemicals (PFCs), will stand after the New Hampshire Department of Environmental Services denied Saint-Gobain’s request for a one-year extension, citing a danger to public health. According to a press release, Saint-Gobain submitted a variance petition for the extension in June, requesting the extension due to delays caused by the pandemic as well as the Town of Merrimack’s appeal of an air permit that was issued by NHDES in February. The variance request was denied, according to the release, because of a state statute that says a variance cannot be granted to anyone who is causing air pollution that creates a danger to public health. “The current emission of perfluorinated chemicals (PFCs) and precursors continue to contribute to an exceedance of ambient groundwater quality standards,” the press release said. Saint-Gobain has 30 days from the time of the decision to appeal.

The White Mountains ranked fourth in USA Today’s top 2020 fall foliage destinations, according to a press release. The only other spot in New England to make the top 10 was Stowe, Vermont, which ranked sixth

Concord is hosting its annual Household Hazardous Waste Collection Day for Concord and Penacook residents on Saturday, Sept. 19, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Everett Arena. Hazardous waste includes cleaners, oil-based paint, pesticides, adhesives, polishes and fuels, according to a post on concordnh.gov. Proof of residency is required.

The Solinsky Center for Cancer at Elliot Hospital in Manchester, which opened in August, received a $100,000 donation last week from Brady Sullivan Properties. The news center offers “state-of-the-art cancer care and treatment,” according to a press release.

Register now to take part in a blood drive for the American Red Cross on Wednesday, Sept. 30, from noon to 5 p.m. at LaBelle Winery in Amherst. Blood donation time slots are available every 15 minutes and all donors will be tested for Covid-19 antibodies, according to a press release. To reserve a donation time, go to redcrossblood.org/give.html/find-drive.