WIND: Massachusetts is poised to be a part of an economic boom created by offshore wind, and activists want to ensure that low-income communities and people of color share in the prosperity. (Energy News Network)

ALSO: A Connecticut couple threatens legal action over a state siting board decision on a wind farm expansion, saying it will disrupt their vacation home. (Hartford Courant)

***SPONSORED LINK: Due to the coronavirus, the International Partnering Forum (IPF) has been divided into two parts. IPF Virtual, April 21-22, will deliver the most time-sensitive information on the U.S. offshore wind market. This virtual event is open to all IPF registered attendees. The in-person forum will take place at IPF Together, August 18-21 in Providence, Rhode Island. Attendees must register for IPF Together in August to gain access to IPF Virtual in April.***

COAL: Even though federal regulators gave a reprieve to power plants that burn waste coal, industry pricing trends suggest the resource has limited economic viability. (E&E News, subscription required)

OIL & GAS: As oil prices collapse, Pennsylvania faces a looming crisis of abandoned wells in the Allegheny National Forest. (Associated Press)

UTILITIES: Utility rate case timelines are extended and delayed by COVID-19 in the Northeast and nationally. (Platts)

SOLAR:
• Maine Audubon investigates how to use Geographic Information Systems to build solar projects in areas that cause the least environmental impact. (Bangor Daily News)
• Critics of Massachusetts’ Clean Peak Standard say the policy merely provides incentives to behind-the-meter storage and does not provide price signals of the best time to dispatch the energy. (PV Magazine)

RENEWABLE ENERGY: A developer proposes a $142 million “green diesel” plant in eastern Pennsylvania to produce fuel from cellulose-based products like paper and wood pallets. (The Mercury)

GRID: New York’s grid operator says declines in electricity demand in New York City reached 18% and also fell in other parts of the state in the first weeks of the coronavirus pandemic. (Greentech Media)

STORAGE: An innovative zinc-air battery storage demonstration project in New York is on track during the pandemic with an agreement with the building owner expected soon. (MINING.com)

SUSTAINABILITY: A new dormitory at the Rhode Island School of Design utilizes a new timber-based construction technology that has lower emissions than concrete or steel. (Providence Journal)

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CLIMATE: Baltimore and Rhode Island climate lawsuits against oil companies allege deceptive behavior in their attempts to mischaracterize their knowledge of climate impacts of fossil fuels. (DeSmog) 

COMMENTARY: An editorialist says Pennsylvania’s decision to classify some of the Mariner East construction as “life-sustaining” when it granted a waiver to continue construction makes no sense. (Unionville Times)

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.