GRID: An electric utility proposes a 1.2 GW transmission line that would connect clean energy projects in northern Maine to New England’s grid, promising to avoid the community engagement mistakes of Central Maine Power’s stalled Clean Energy Connect line. (Maine Public, Portland Press Herald)

ALSO: Nearly 20 planned transmission upgrades on a western New York utility’s grid are potentially unnecessary and shouldn’t be eligible for cost recovery, argue dozens of commercial and industrial customers. (RTO Insider, subscription)

UTILITIES: Staff with the Rhode Island attorney general’s office argue in court that state residents may be forced to pay over $200 million in transition costs if National Grid is allowed to sell Narragansett Electric to PPL. (WPRI)

CLIMATE: Some board members of Maryland’s second-largest city question whether their climate crisis mitigation projects — including electric vehicle fast charger installations — are substantial enough. (Frederick News-Post)

EFFICIENCY: Massachusetts’ proposed building efficiency stretch codes need to  be strengthened before they’re worth passing, according to two lawmakers on the state legislature’s energy committee. (Commonwealth Magazine)

LABOR: A bill introduced in the Maine legislature would set prevailing wages and benefits for renewable energy workers and outline related pre-apprentice programs. (Associated Press)

SOLAR:
• Massachusetts solar developers find little comfort in the state’s bolstered solar incentive program considering the immense hurdles at the local level to get new projects approved. (RTO Insider, subscription)
• A rural western Maine town sets a temporary moratorium on commercial solar development until a permanent ordinance is developed and put before voters in June. (Sun Journal)

OFFSHORE WIND: A New Jersey utility board delays a planned offshore wind project solicitation from September 2022 to January 2023. (news release)

FOSSIL FUELS:
• Several Republican Pennsylvania lawmakers argue the state should contribute to the economic fight against Russia’s invasion of Ukraine by producing more natural gas, even though the U.S. mostly imports Russian oil, not natural gas. (Times)
• Republican New York lawmakers encourage residents to publicly comment on proposed decarbonization plans that include a gas ban for new buildings. (Olean Times Herald)

TRANSPORTATION:
• Two public workshops will be held in New York City’s Queens borough to collect comments on over a dozen potential transportation options to connect Manhattan with LaGuardia Airport. (NBC New York)
• The New York Power Authority installs four new electric vehicle fast chargers at a shopping center in a western New York city. (Buffalo News)

Bridget is a freelance reporter and newsletter writer based in the Washington, D.C., area. She compiles the Northeast Energy News digest. Bridget primarily writes about energy, conservation and the environment. Originally from Philadelphia, she graduated from Emerson College in 2015 with a degree in journalism and a minor in environmental studies. When she isn’t working on a story, she’s normally on a northern Maine lake or traveling abroad to practice her Spanish language skills.