OIL & GAS: Recently released documents show a concerted effort a year ago by Pennsylvania officials to push Exxon to build a petrochemical plant south of Pittsburgh that was ultimately unsuccessful. (Pittsburgh Post-Gazette)

ALSO: Philadelphia environmentalists raise an alarm over a plan that could send large liquified natural gas carrying trains through the city on their way to a proposed export terminal in New Jersey. (Philadelphia Inquirer)

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NUCLEAR:
• The company decommissioning the Oyster Creek nuclear plant in New Jersey goes to federal court to stop a move by local officials to halt storage of nuclear waste at the facility. (Courier Post)
• A bill introduced by Vermont’s congressional delegation would provide a financial windfall to the town that stores the spent nuclear fuel from the shuttered Vermont Yankee nuclear power plant. (Brattleboro Reformer)

ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE: New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy signs a bill giving environmental justice communities a say in the construction of new polluting sources within them. (NJ Spotlight)

CLEAN ENERGY: New York issues proposed regulations to  streamline siting approvals for large clean energy projects that are lauded by several environmental groups. (Utility Dive, Daily Freeman)

CLIMATE: A new report says rising seas by 2040 could create credit risks for several states that rely on their coastal areas for at least 70% of their economic activity, including Rhode Island, New York, New Jersey and Delaware. (Forbes)

PIPELINES: County and state officials criticize a federal regulator’s decision that splitting the Pennsylvania section of the PennEast pipeline from the project creates no environmental issues. (LehighValleyLive)

ACTIVISM:
• A “climate clock” urging governments to take action is unveiled in New York City to mark the beginning of Climate Week. (Common Dreams)
• A year after youth-led global protests for climate action, Philadelphia teens say little progress has been made and they worry that trend will continue into 2021. (Philadelphia Inquirer)

TRANSPORTATION: A state legislator from Brooklyn wants New York to expand its electric vehicle rebate program to include electric bikes. (Streetblog NYC)

SOLAR: A unique 2.25 MW solar array being built to power a gas compressor station is under construction in New Jersey. (NJ.com)

COMMENTARY:
• A former medical professor says the racial disparities in COVID-19 deaths due to pollution exposure should prompt us to more quickly electrify heavy-duty vehicles. (Baltimore Sun)
• The utility owner of New Jersey’s nuclear power plants says the state must continue to support them due to uncertain policy support from the federal government. (NJ Spotlight)
• Members of a climate action team in a Maine city say budget cuts likely to come from the effects of COVID-19 disruptions should spare efforts to implement climate change actions. (Portland Press Herald)
• An editorial board says residents opposed to solar and wind projects must learn to live with them as climate change shows New York cannot remain “mired in fossil fuels.” (Buffalo News)

 

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Bill Opalka

Bill is a freelance journalist based outside Albany, New York. As a former New England correspondent for RTO Insider, he has written about energy for newspapers, magazines and other publications for more than 20 years. He has an extensive career in trade publications and newspapers, mostly focused on the utility sector, covering such issues as restructuring, renewable energy and consumer affairs. Bill covers Maine, Vermont and New Hampshire and also compiles the Northeast Energy News daily email digest.