Northeast Energy News

New Hampshire nears clean energy spending agreement 

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Note to readers: Northeast Energy News is taking a break for the holiday and will be back on Monday, Nov. 30. Thank you for reading! CLEAN ENERGY: An agreement is within reach in New Hampshire on how to spend $5.2 million in clean energy funds that were set aside three years ago after the state’s largest utility divested its power plants. (Energy News Network)

ALSO: New York produced the fourth-highest amount of renewable energy in the U.S. and greatest east of the Mississippi in 2019.

Northeast Energy News

Retroactive efficiency loans offer pandemic lifelines to businesses

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CLEAN ENERGY: A Connecticut green bank is among a growing list of lenders offering retroactive energy efficiency loans as a way to help business owners free up capital during the pandemic. (Energy News Network)

OFFSHORE WIND: Maine Gov. Janet Mills proposes a 16-square-mile offshore wind farm for 12 floating wind turbines under development at the University of Maine. (Maine Public)

GRID: New York’s grid operator and state regulators oppose a proposal by gas generators to raise the price floor for renewables in its capacity market, similar to what was ordered in PJM’s territory. (Utility Dive)

SOLAR:
• New York officials approve a 90.5 MW solar farm in central New York that would be built on 90 acres of leased farmland. (Albany Times Union)
• Developers say a solar project slated for late 2022 in New York’s North Country will create 200 local jobs during construction.

Northeast Energy News

Pennsylvania lawmakers approve weaker rules for drilling

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NATURAL GAS: Pennsylvania legislators send a bill to Gov. Tom Wolf that would relax environmental standards for conventional oil and gas drillers. (StateImpact Pennsylvania) 

UTILITIES:
• New Jersey regulators urge state legislators to give utilities more leeway in trimming trees on private property, which were blamed for many of the outages caused by downed power lines during a summer tropical storm. (NJ Spotlight)
• Advocates for public ownership of Maine’s utilities say customers would benefit from lower rates, but utility advocates say cost savings are not guaranteed due to acquisition costs. (WGME)

OFFSHORE WIND:
• A company completes its survey of the area of the 800 MW Mayflower offshore wind project in Massachusetts. (reNEWS)
• Rhode Island labor officials and an offshore wind advocacy group partner to create a virtual course for businesses interested in becoming involved in the industry.

Northeast Energy News

New Jersey prepares for multi-project offshore wind transmission

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OFFSHORE WIND: New Jersey and PJM reach an agreement to allow that state’s regulators to open a competitive bidding process next year for a transmission backbone that could serve multiple offshore wind farms. (NJ Spotlight)

ALSO:
• The developers of the Revolution Wind project off Rhode Island expect federal officials to open a public comment period on its construction plan next year. (Providence Journal)
• The Danish company developing several offshore wind farms along the East Coast announces an agreement with a building trade union to train a workforce for the industry. (Reuters)

CLIMATE: Boston Mayor Marty Walsh, who now heads the national Climate Mayors, says climate action is still needed despite budget constraints caused by the pandemic. (WBUR)

TRANSPORTATION: A new study on a regional cap-and-trade emission pact for Northeast transportation says the impact on gasoline prices could be much higher than previously forecast. (CommonWealth Magazine)

EFFICIENCY:
• The utility serving Philadelphia cites declining interest as it pulls the plug on a 10-year-old program that paid customers to allow it to cut off air conditioning during times of peak demand.

Northeast Energy News

Maryland report urges accelerated emissions reduction targets

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CLIMATE: An annual state climate report says Maryland must accelerate its commitment to greenhouse gas reductions to mitigate the effects of climate change. (Maryland Matters) 

GRID:
• Three grid operators in the Northeast offer cautious support for a carbon price under consideration by federal regulators while a stakeholder in New England voices skepticism. (S&P Global)
• In a filing with Connecticut regulators, Eversource says more than 1,100 critical facilities were left without power — some for as long as four days — after Tropical Storm Isais. (CT Insider)

***SPONSORED LINK: Tigercomm is hosting a webinar titled “Trends, Developments and Community Engagement in Offshore Wind” TODAY from 1-2 PM EST. Tune in as editors of major offshore wind news sites discuss sector trends and developments.