NH Ready To Ditch Daylight Savings Time, But There’s A Catch

Lawmakers are closer than ever to switching to Atlantic Standard Time year round, but getting there requires more cooperation.

While everyone is anticipating a switch to later sunsets starting this weekend, the idea of changing your clocks twice a year (I still refuse, or maybe I'm just that lazy) might be a thing of the past. According to the Concord Monitor, the New Hampshire House passed a bill to remove the state from the Eastern Standard Time, and convert to Atlantic Standard Time for the calendar year. Yes, this would effectively effectively keep New Hampshire in the summer month timing for all 12 months of the year.

There's one catch: Maine and Massachusetts must also come along for the ride.

Proponents, like Concord Democrat Kris Schultz told Concord Monitor “Every ‘spring forward’ we hear a statistically significant increases in car accidents heart attacks and work place injuries.”

Others, like Rep. Michael Harrington, a Strafford Republican cite time, and moving New Hampshire a time zone to the east would make it even harder to communicate with those on the West Coast.

Even if it's closer than ever, the change still has hurdles beyond Maine and Massachusetts joining us. According to the Concord Monitor, even with solidarity, the states will all need to obtain permission from the U.S. Department of Transportation, a potential hurdle of its own.