TRANSPORTATION: Connecticut advocates say a bill to promote state membership in a regional agreement to reduce transportation emissions does not go far enough to share proceeds with underserved communities. (Energy News Network)

ALSO: A Maine rebate program is helping municipalities purchase electric vehicles. (Portland Press Herald)

***SPONSORED LINK: Save the date! Registration for the Business Network for Offshore Wind’s International Partnering Forum opens March 15. Unique this year, IPF will be in-person (August) *AND* virtual (April, May, June.)*** 

OFFSHORE WIND:
• The New Hampshire Senate will consider a bill that sets up a process to solicit up to 800 MW of offshore wind in mid-2023. (NH Business Review)
• Offshore wind advocates hope the environmental review for the Vineyard Wind project released this week sets a template for the 12 projects currently proposed along the East Coast. (E&E News, subscription required) 

PIPELINES: The Biden administration backs the PennEast pipeline in a filing with the U.S. Supreme Court in a case where the company seeks to overturn a lower court ruling that prevented seizure of public lands in New Jersey. (Bloomberg Law)

CLIMATE: Maryland Senate Republicans fail to amend a proposed climate law that would fund implementation with money diverted from a clean water program. (Maryland Matters)

DIVESTMENT: Rutgers University’s board adopts a recommendation from a committee of students, faculty and others to divest its $80 million portfolio of fossil fuel investments. (Philadelphia Inquirer)

SOLAR:
• Planners in a New York town debate a solar law that would restrict projects on farmland that some members say is too limiting. (Post-Star)
• Voters in a New Hampshire town approve a $3.6 million bond for a municipal solar array. (Portsmouth Herald)

CLEAN ENERGY: New Hampshire legislators, utilities and community power advocates work out a compromise to move a bill that would expand municipalities’ ability to offer residents clean energy choices. (NHPR)

TECHNOLOGY: A Maine technology company wins a $3.6 million grant from the Energy Department to refine a process to capture energy from river currents. (Portland Press Herald)

UTILITIES: Unpaid utility bills in New York top $1.1 billion, adding pressure on regulators to extend a pandemic-inspired moratorium on shutoffs. (Albany Times Union)

REGULATION: A former state legislator wins confirmation as a Rhode Island utility regulator despite opposition from senators who say he lacks qualifications. (Providence Journal)

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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.