SOLAR: Connecticut solar developers start to use sheep for vegetation control as more sites are seen as potential locations for dual energy and agricultural production. (Energy News Network)

ALSO: The developer of a 4.4 MW solar project in New York rejects findings made against it by county planners and asks the town hosting it to proceed with its own approvals. (Altamont Enterprise)

***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.)*** 

OIL & GAS: The bankrupt former owner of a Philadelphia oil refinery destroyed by a 2019 fire blames a mislabeled pipe that failed and caused an explosion. (Philadelphia Inquirer)

CLIMATE:
• Legislators in Rhode Island say a new climate bill must be enforceable and include the ability of residents to sue the state for non-compliance. (ecoRI)
• Former Rhode Island Gov. Gina Raimondo is confirmed as U.S. Commerce Secretary, leading the department that includes government climate research and fisheries management. (E&E News, subscription required)

PIPELINES:
• A natural gas distributor in Maine cancels a $90 million pipeline project just weeks after announcing it as local opposition mounts. (Bangor Daily News)
• PennEast Pipeline argues in a U.S. Supreme Court brief that a lower court ruling rejecting eminent domain over state lands in New Jersey misconstrues federal law. (E&E News, subscription required)

OFFSHORE WIND: A host community agreement between offshore wind developers and New London, Connecticut will pay the city $750,000 per year for seven years during the expected construction phases of three wind farms in New England. (Journal Inquirer)

EMISSIONS: Voters in a Vermont city pass a referendum that allows it to ask state legislators for permission to tax developments that use fossil fuels. (WCAX)

UTILITIES:
• More than a half-million residential customers and 91,000 commercial accounts owing more than $700 million face utility shut-offs in New Jersey in less that two weeks if a moratorium is not extended. (NJ Spotlight)
• Two New York utilities have added electric backhoes to their maintenance fleets. (Construction Equipment Guide)

COMMENTARY:
• An editorial board says current climate legislation working through the Maryland legislature is a chance to reverse years of backsliding that should not be missed. (Baltimore Sun)
• A Connecticut River advocate says current relicensing petitions for five hydroelectric dams are the last chance to enhance fish ladders for migratory species to successfully move upstream. (VT Digger) 

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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.