WIND: Boston University buys all of its electricity from a South Dakota wind farm, reasoning that it has a greater climate impact than buying locally sourced renewable energy. (Energy News Network)
ALSO:
• A Massachusetts-based transmission developer and a Danish consultancy say they will jointly bid on a proposed project to connect New Jersey offshore wind farms to the PJM grid. (North American Windpower)
• A New York study identifies income opportunities for fishermen and other mariners created by offshore wind. (reNEWS)
CLIMATE:
• Connecticut Gov. Ned Lamont introduces a suite of climate bills to address climate change mitigation, energy efficiency and transportation. (news release)
• A bill introduced in Maryland encourages schools to take more direct actions to reduce their climate impacts. (Maryland Matters)
TRANSPORTATION:
• Connecticut Gov. Ned Lamont and gasoline and diesel interests gear up for a fight in the state legislature over a bill to allow state membership in a regional tailpipe emissions pact. (Hartford Courant)
• A coalition of environmental, labor and other groups petition New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy to eliminate a budget item that would divert money from the state’s Clean Energy Fund to NJ Transit operations. (NJ.com)
• New Jersey awards grants to 47 municipalities and organizations for electric vehicles and infrastructure with funds from a regional emissions agreement and the Volkwagen settlement. (NorthJersey.com)
ELECTRIC VEHICLES: New Jersey regulators approve Atlantic City Electric’s $21 million electric vehicle infrastructure plan, which was scaled back from a $42.1 million proposal in 2019. (NJ Spotlight)
FRACKING: The Delaware River Basin Commission says it will vote next week on a permanent ban on fracking in northeastern Pennsylvania counties that has been in place for a decade. (Associated Press)
EFFICIENCY: Two dozen New Hampshire businesses write to state officials urging an increase in efficiency standards to provide long-term cost benefits. (NH Business Review)
GRID: Analysts and officials in Maryland and New York say a grid failure like the one crippling Texas is unlikely in the East due to cold weather preparedness, market regulation and other factors. (WLJA, Albany Times Union)
UTILITIES: Low income advocacies and other public interest groups are asking Pennsylvania regulators to extend the moratorium on utility shutoffs past its March 31 expiration. (KYW)
BIOMASS: Environmental justice advocates rally against a proposed biomass plant and state incentives that would aid it in a western Massachusetts city. (Masslive.com, WWLP)
TRANSMISSION: The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers defends its limited review of a Maine power line in federal court, saying it had jurisdiction only over a small section. (Bloomberg Law, subscription required)