As this issue of The Beacon went to press, the Andover Energy Group had just collected the 25 signatures of Andover residents needed to bring a warrant article entitled “New Hampshire Resolution to Take Action on Climate Pollution” up for a vote by Andover residents attending their Town Meeting on Tuesday, March 10.

The warrant article, prepared by the Science, Technology, and Energy Committee of the New Hampshire House of Representatives, is explained by committee member Kat McGhee in an article on page ?? of this issue.  Significant input was made by committee member and Andover resident Ken Wells.

By voting in favor of the warrant article, Town Meeting attendees agree that “To protect households, we support a Carbon Fee and Dividend approach that charges fossil fuel producers for their carbon pollution and rebates the money collected to all New Hampshire residents on an equal basis.”  The approach is also known as “Carbon Cash-Back.”

The warrant article continues:  “We expect our representatives to lead in this critical moment for the health and well-being of our citizens and for the protection of New Hampshire’s natural resources upon which we all rely.”

What’s a warrant article? Put simply, it’s an item on the Town Meeting Warrant (or agenda) that calls for a vote by attendees on a specific issue.  Warrant articles may be prepared by the Board of Selectmen or other town government officials, or submitted by petition from town residents.
Since the beginning of the year, local energy committees and other groups have been working in well over 100 New Hampshire cities and towns to bring this warrant article to Town Meetings, according to the Carbon Cash-Back Coalition, a statewide grassroots organization.  The results will be shared with government officials at the state and national levels.

For more information,  go to the Carbon Cash-Back Coalition  website at sites.google.com/view/carbon-cashback-coalition/.  If you’re a registered voter in Andover and would like to add your signature to the petition, send an e-mail to the Andover Energy Group at  andoverenergy@nullgmail.com before Town Meeting Day, and a member of the group will bring you the petition.