Orr and Reno Attorney Appointed

The Business and Industry Association of New Hampshire has appointed Maureen Smith, a director at the Orr and Reno law firm, as vice chair of its Energy and Telecommunications Committee.

Smith has more than 30 years of legal experience in the public and private sectors and is a member of Orr and Reno’s Energy and Environmental practice groups. She has an extensive background in regulatory and policy development and focuses her current practice on representing energy and manufacturing facilities. She joins committee chair Mike Donahue, principal engineer at Aries Engineering.

BIA, which is New Hampshire’s statewide chamber of commerce and leading business advocate, has five policy committees that meet monthly September through June and consist of volunteers from BIA member companies throughout the state. The Energy and Telecommunications Committee addresses issues relating to the cost and supply of energy and state and federal policies and regulations. The committee closely tracks the various state programs aimed at supporting energy efficiency and sustainable energy. The committee also reviews issues related to other regulated utilities, including telecommunications.

About the BIA

The Business and Industry Association is New Hampshire’s statewide chamber of commerce and leading business advocate. The BIA represents more than 400 members in a variety of industries, including advanced manufacturing, high technology, professional services, financial services, health care, hospitality and tourism, public utilities, higher education and insurance. Member firms employ 86,000 people throughout the state, which represents one in eight jobs, and contribute $4.5 billion annually to the state’s economy. Through advocacy with state legislators and regulators, the BIA works to promote a healthy business climate and robust economic future for New Hampshire.

The BIA’s 2015/2016 public policy priorities include: preserving the New Hampshire Advantage through support of fiscally conservative state budgets with a business-friendly regulatory and tax structure; supporting business tax policies that foster economic growth; supporting infrastructure development; supporting efforts to increase the availability and affordability of housing for working people; supporting pro-business labor rules and regulations that consider the rights and responsibilities of workers and management; supporting efforts that enhance outcomes and slow the growth of total healthcare costs for employers and the state; supporting efforts to develop New Hampshire’s future workforce; advocating for policies that ensure reliability and lower the long- and short-term costs of energy; supporting efforts to expand privately-owned telecommunications infrastructure throughout the state; and supporting environmental policies, legislation and administrative rules that balance economic development with the long-term viability of the state’s natural resources.

For more information about the BIA, visit biaofnh.com/.

Submitted text and courtesy photo.