POLITICS: As Pennsylvania emerges as a critical swing state, some state Democrats express frustration with Joe Biden’s nuanced stance on fracking as coal supporters confront President Trump’s failed promises to revive the industry. (Los Angeles Times, The Guardian)

ALSO:
• At a campaign rally in Pennsylvania, Trump says the upcoming election “is a matter of economic survival” for the state. (Politics PA)
• The EPA threatens to close its regional office in New York City following President Trump’s declaration that the city is an “anarchist jurisdiction.” (New York Times)

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TRANSMISSION: Environmental groups across New England are divided over the proposed Northern Pass hydropower transmission line in Maine. (Hartford Courant)

SOLAR:
• Water company Poland Spring announces plans for a 10 MW solar array that will provide 25% of the energy used at its Hollis, Maine, bottling plant. (Bangor Daily News)
• Vermont solar developers say state regulators should keep net metering rates where they are to compensate for declining federal tax incentives. (Times Argus)
• A New Jersey town is soliciting bids for a solar farm atop a former landfill. (Jersey Shore Online)

CLEAN ENERGY:
• New York City’s comptroller urges the city to reject plans to update a power plant with new natural gas units and pursue renewable energy instead. (New York Daily News)
• Plymouth, Massachusetts, enters an energy aggregation agreement that includes a 100% renewable energy option for customers. (Wicked Local)

EFFICIENCY:
• New Jersey regulators approve a $1 billion efficiency plan for the state’s largest utility. (NJ Spotlight)
• Vermont Gov. Phil Scott signs a bill authorizing utilities to create efficiency programs for transportation and heating. (news release)
• New York City offers $50 million in grants to help commercial and multifamily buildings reduce emissions. (WWTI)

ELECTRIC VEHICLES: New York officials unveil the first of 200 fast-charge stations for electric vehicles around the state. (Electrek)

COMMENTARY:
• The president of BP America urges Rhode Island Gov. Gina Raimondo to join the regional Transportation and Climate Initiative. (Providence Journal)
• A Connecticut lawmaker asks what it will take for some of her Republican colleagues to “wake up and acknowledge” that climate change is a crisis. (Hartford Courant)
• A former New Jersey official says solar farms should be placed over parking lots instead of farmland. (NJ Spotlight)

Ken is the director of the Energy News Network at Fresh Energy and is a founding editor of both Midwest Energy News and Southeast Energy News. Prior to joining Fresh Energy, he was the managing editor for online news at Minnesota Public Radio. He started his journalism career in 2002 as a copy editor for the Duluth News Tribune before spending five years at the Spokesman-Review in Spokane, Washington, where he worked as a copy editor, online producer, features editor and night city editor. A Nebraska native, Ken has a bachelor's degree from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and a master's degree from the University of Oregon. He is a member of the Society of Professional Journalists and Investigative Reporters and Editors.