Joyce Weston

JOYCE WESTON

GRAFTON 8

Hebron, Holderness, Plymouth

I am Joyce Weston. I am running for my second term in the NH House, representing Plymouth, Hebron, and Holderness. I am a member of the Commerce and Consumer Affairs Committee. Last term, we worked on bills to reduce the cost of pharmaceuticals, to make sure your insurance covers the costs of fertility care — or long term treatment for Lyme disease, to allow you to drink beer in a winery — and wine in a brewery, to decide whether you can take your dog onto a restaurant patio, and many bi-partisan bills that just keep our government departments running smoothly.

But there is another issue that is of overriding interest to me, and that’s climate change. We all know that we are in a critical moment — and the cost of doing nothing is too high.

Where do we stand on this issue in NH? Our neighbors — Maine, Massachusetts, Vermont, and Canada — all have robust plans to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, but NH remains decades behind. We are the donut hole!

If re-elected, I will sponsor a bill to require a Climate Action Plan for New Hampshire. Over the summer, I worked with two other representatives to write a bill that will enable the Department of Environmental Services — first, to analyze Greenhouse Gas emissions on a 5 year basis, — and then to set up a plan to get to NET ZERO by 2050. In addition, the DES will have to report on their progress every two years, which adds a layer of accountability.

The whole world has woken up to this critical situation. Even China now has a full-fledged plan. I find it embarrassing that NH is the only local state that has refused to act. And I want to get us started on catching up.

I hope I can count on your vote on November 3 — or earlier, if you choose to vote by absentee ballot.