MINING: A Canadian mining executive’s comments about the lack of Indigenous rights in Maine benefits local mining projects spark outrage as the company looks to develop a precious minerals mine in Penobscot County. (Bangor Daily News/Houlton Pioneer Times)

NATURAL GAS: A Canadian cryptocurrency mining company receives county approval to purchase a natural gas generation station outside Buffalo, New York, to power its operations; city approval is still necessary. (Buffalo News)

ELECTRIC VEHICLES:
• Millions of dollars were available in Connecticut for electric vehicle rebates last year, but relatively few residents took advantage of them — and this year looks no better so far. (Connecticut Public Radio)
• Portland, Maine, instates fees for using municipal electric vehicle charging stations, both for powering up a vehicle and for leaving the car plugged in for too long. (News Center Maine)
• Only five residents of New York City’s Bronx borough attended an electric scooter demonstration ahead of a pilot project set to release thousands of the devices onto the streets. (Streetsblog NYC)
• Electric vehicle charging infrastructure installation begins at five locations of a small convenience store chain primarily based in New York and Vermont. (Times Union)

UTILITIES: Maine lawmakers pass a nonbinding resolution that claims granting Central Maine Power a lease for its transmission line on public lands was unconstitutional, pointing to a 1993 amendment that requires lawmakers’ approval of substantial alterations to public lands. (Maine Public Radio)

EFFICIENCY:
• A suburban Washington, D.C. county proposes strengthening its commercial energy efficiency rules, which would effectively require 1,000 additional buildings to report their energy use to county environmental officials. (Washington Post)
• New Hampshire’s energy efficiency sector saw a 9% job loss between 2019 and 2020, according to a new federal report, which provided numerous other insights into the state’s green jobs growth. (New Hampshire Public Radio)

SOLAR:
• Vermont utility regulators will soon decide the fate of a small solar array project opposed by neighbors; the case’s hearing officer has recommended against approval. (Bennington Banner)
• A coastal Maine town approves a new solar power purchase agreement that aims to save $1.8 million over 20 years starting in 2023 — even though a location for the offsite array has yet to be identified. (Times Record)
• A Hudson Valley public housing complex is getting a rooftop solar array, which should reduce residents’ energy bills when complete. (Solar Industry)
• In the next eight months, a vacant northern Maine city field will become the site of a new 2 MW solar farm. (Bangor Daily News)

CLIMATE: Washington, D.C. recently passed legislation aiming to reduce food sector emissions by 25% by 2030, a move likely to vastly improve the nutrition of public school childrens’ meals. (DC Line)

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.