When New Hampshire House Energy Committee chair Rep. Michael Vose was asked to name the top three reasons the state’s electricity prices are double the national average, he didn’t hesitate.

“No natural gas. No natural gas. No natural gas.”

The line got a big laugh from the crowd at an energy roundtable hosted by Americans for Prosperity-New Hampshire on Wednesday. But Vose and his free-market allies say it’s no joke.

Despite promises from Granite State Democrats that more wind and solar will drive down costs, Vose says the data show states that have forced more renewable power onto the grid have seen their residential electricity rates soar.

The reason, said Rep. Keith Ammon (R-New Boston), is the need for redundant systems to back up the intermittent power from renewables.

“The wind

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