UTILITIES: Con Edison pledges to both reach net-zero emissions at its facilities and provide 100% clean electricity for its customers by 2040, putting the utility in line with state goals. (NY1)
COURTS:
• More than a month after a court ordered it to release its communications with a natural gas pipeline developer facing criminal charges, a Philadelphia-area township appeals the ruling. (Associated Press)
• New York files an amicus brief with a federal appeals court, supporting Connecticut’s argument that its climate lawsuit should remain in state court. (Bloomberg Law, subscription)
CLIMATE: A new report finds sea level rise might inundate hundreds of millions of dollars worth of property in Maine’s York County alone. (Maine Public)
PIPELINES: A Springfield, Massachusetts, city councilor wants a state utility regulator to perform a cost-benefit analysis of Eversource’s proposed secondary gas pipeline. (WWLP)
FINANCE:
• New York’s financial regulator issues guidance instructing insurers to factor climate risk into their business planning and disclose those concerns. (Bloomberg Green)
• University of Maine students tell a board of trustees meeting that the school needs to more quickly divest from its fossil fuel holdings, which amount to around 2% of the school’s investments. (Maine Public)
WIND: Although there’s a lot of excitement in New Hampshire over offshore wind energy, that enthusiasm hasn’t translated into procurement action, industry supporters say. (Concord Monitor)
GRID: Wholesale power prices through New England’s grid operator rose 127% year-over-year in October. (S&P Global)
TRANSPORTATION: A New Jersey legislative committee recommends passing bills that would spend $15 million annually for three years on a pilot to transition 18 school districts’ diesel school buses to electric. (RTO Insider, subscription)
SOLAR:
• A solar industry trade association implores Massachusetts officials to stop “feet-dragging” and finally expand its solar incentivization program. (news release)
• Two solar arrays totaling 4.4 MW come online on brownfields near Burlington, Vermont. (Burlington Free Press)
• An upcoming meeting of New York’s Adirondack Park Agency will examine whether it has jurisdiction over large-scale solar projects in the park. (Adirondack Explorer)
COMMENTARY: Two Connecticut auto dealership owners argue that the local dealership model is best positioned to help the state reach its electric vehicle adoption goals. (CT Post)