GRID:
• A behind-the-meter battery startup company, which has raised $80 million in funding from investors, is working in New York and Massachusetts on battery and energy storage projects. (Greentech Media)
• Six months after Massachusetts set a target for energy storage, more projects are getting off the ground but regulations are still unclear. (Utility Dive)
SOLAR:
• Tesla’s “Gigafactory 2” in Buffalo, New York could benefit from the Trump administration’s tariff on imported solar panels, even though the company lobbied against the proposal. (Buffalo Business First)
• Solar installers in Philadelphia say the tariff will drive up installations cost, lead to job loss, and hinder renewable energy growth. (Philadelphia Inquirer)
• Vermont solar companies are also concerned that the industry will slow down. (Vermont Public Radio)
WIND: Analysts say falling prices will help drive a boom in offshore wind along the Atlantic coast. (Utility Dive)
RENEWABLE ENERGY: Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker touts state’s commitment to renewable energy during his state of the state address. (WCVB)
CARBON TRADING: New Jersey lawmakers take a step closer to rejoining the Regional Greenhouses Gas Initiative as they discuss how funds could be allocated. (NJ Spotlight)
NUCLEAR: New Jersey’s senate president says he’s open to making changes to a nuclear subsidy bill in order to get the governor and other lawmakers on board, including adding provisions for renewable energy. (NorthJersey.com)
UTILITIES: Vermont Gas plans to give customers a monthly credit on their heating bills throughout 2018 as a result of the tax reform legislation passed in Congress. (Vermont Biz)
POLICY: Bennington, Vermont officials have approved an energy plan, making it one of the first cities to comply with a state law giving municipalities more influence over siting decisions. (Bennington Banner)
EFFICIENCY: A county in New York is proposing to use a $100,000 grant to install LED lighting at county office buildings, two county parking areas, and also install an electric vehicle public charging station. (Watertown Daily Times)
BIOFUELS: A judge in Delaware has temporarily blocked the expansion of a biofuel refinery, ruling in favor of two civic groups who claim the project violates the Coastal Zone Act. (Delmarva Public Radio)
PIPELINES:
• The Pennsylvania Supreme Court has rejected several appeals from landowners fighting an energy company that wants to take their land for a pipeline project. (The Legal Intelligencer)
• After gaining approval from federal regulators, the PennEast Pipeline Company now plans to seek permits in New Jersey for its project. (Pike County Courier)
OFFSHORE DRILLING: Officials in a New Jersey township have passed a resolution opposing the Trump administration’s plan for offshore drilling along the northeast coast. (Shore News Network)
FRACKING: Voters in Redding, Connecticut will vote on a proposed ordinance that would ban the storage of fracking waste in town. (Danbury News Times)
TRANSMISSION:
• Vermonters are being wooed by bidders of a power line project that will bring renewable energy from Canada to Massachusetts, via Vermont. (Vermont Public Radio)
• The state Senate in Delaware has voted unanimously to a give state regulators new authority over electric transmission utilities. (The New Journal)
• A subcontractor involved in proposed overhead power line project in Pennsylvania is accused of harsh tactics to gain access to residential properties. (York Dispatch)
COMMENTARY:
• The AM New York editorial board says the Trump administration’s offshore drilling plan along the northeast coast is “shortsighted” and its effort to remove environmental safety regulations is “wrongheaded.”
• An executive from clothing retailer Eileen Fisher argues for a carbon tax in New York. (Crain’s New York Business)
• Approving a nuclear subsidy bill in New Jersey would compete with the renewable energy projects championed by the new governor, says a lawyer. (NJ Spotlight)
• Energy costs in Massachusetts are high because the state doesn’t have sufficient infrastructure to meet increasing consumer demand, says a chamber of commerce president. (South Coast Today)