The petitioners' interpretation leads to an absurd result when applied to such facilities. See Appeal of Geekie, 157 N.H. 195, 202, 949 A.2d 686 (2008) (court "will not interpret statutory language in a literal manner when such a reading would lead to an absurd result" (quotation omitted)). Under the Act, DES "shall" issue permits for facilities for public water access, public water supply, sewage treatment, and hydroelectric power "as necessary ... consistent with the purposes of [RSA] chapter [483–B] and other state law."

We will not presume that the legislature intended such a wasteful and illogical result. See Appeal of Geekie, 157 N.H. 195, 202, 949 A.2d 686 (2008) (court “will not interpret statutory language in a literal manner when such a reading would lead to an absurd result” (quotation omitted)). Rather, the more reasonable construction of the statute is that once the Board has abandoned its efforts to resolve a grievance informally through settlement and has determined to initiate a formal disciplinary hearing, such action has the effect of converting the grievance into a complaint.

Indeed, given that the three interests which underlie the inventory search doctrine, i.e., protection of property, avoidance of liability claims against the police, and protection of the police and the public from danger, are heightened — not lessened — in the case of vehicles, such as the U-Haul truck, which contain larger cargo areas than the trunk of a typical automobile, it is implausible that the policy was intended to restrict the search of such areas more narrowly than the search of an automobile trunk. Cf. State v. Rollins-Ercolino, 149 N.H. 336, 341 (2003) (court will not interpret statute to require an illogical result); Appeal of Geekie, 157 N.H. 195, 202 (2008) (court "will not interpret statutory language in a literal manner when such a reading would lead to an absurd result" (quotation omitted)); Appeal of Town of Pittsfield, 160 N.H. 604, 606 (2010) (principles of statutory construction govern interpretation of administrative regulations). It is true that, unlike many automobiles where the trunk is accessible or can be unlocked from inside the vehicle, the U-Haul could only be unlocked from the outside.