NUCLEAR: Exelon’s lobbying expenditures in Pennsylvania soared last year to nearly $1.8 million following its threat to close the Three Mile Island plant. (York Dispatch)
ALSO: Data from New York’s grid operator show that during an unplanned two-week shutdown of the Indian Point nuclear plant, nearly the entire gap in power production was filled by natural gas generation. (Lohud.com)
***SPONSORED LINK: ACI’s 9th National Conference on Microgrids will bring together key industry players and feature an exclusive tour of the Otis Air National Guard Base Microgrid. Join us April 17-18 in Boston to discuss the latest developments and challenges of microgrid infrastructures.***
WIND: As Maine’s anti-wind policies are reversed, it remains unclear how long the “chilling effect” on development will last. (Energy News Network)
SOLAR:
• Maine Gov. Janet Mills signed a bill yesterday that restores net metering credits for solar generation. (Press Herald)
• Officials in a Massachusetts town approve a solar project with the condition that a fence be built to protect a historic ash tree. (Patriot Ledger)
TRANSMISSION:
• On the second day of a week-long hearing on a controversial power line in Maine, the public got to weigh in on the potential environmental impact of the project. (Bangor Daily News)
• Some Maine lawmakers strongly oppose the project, with one calling it a “boondoggle of major proportions.” (VillageSoup)
PIPELINES:
• Massachusetts U.S. Reps. Seth Moulton and Lori Trahan told a congressional hearing that federal oversight of pipeline safety must improve in the wake of last year’s gas explosion. (Boston Herald)
• A homeowner whose residence is near construction of the Mariner East 2 pipeline says it feels like living in an earthquake zone. (County Press)
OIL AND GAS: A Pennsylvania township that lost its court fight against a driller’s wastewater well says a court order to pay $103,000 in attorneys’ fees to the winner will bankrupt the community. (Post Gazette)
UTILITIES:
• Three Maine legislators will hold a town hall meeting in Rockport on Thursday to discuss their proposal to replace the state’s two investor-owned utilities with a public authority. (Penobscot Bay Pilot)
• A Delaware utility is giving away free trees to help save energy and reduce pollution. (Delaware Public Media)
TRANSPORTATION: A new compressed natural gas station used to fuel motor vehicles is now open to the public. (Delaware State News)
***SPONSORED LINK: ACI’s 9th National Conference on Microgrids will bring together key industry players and feature an exclusive tour of the Otis Air National Guard Base Microgrid. Join us April 17-18 in Boston to discuss the latest developments and challenges of microgrid infrastructures.***
HYDRO:
• A proposed new “fish-friendly” hydropower plant in Pennsylvania is awarded a $1.4 million state grant. (Morning Call)
• A tidal energy system will be tested in New York City next year. (Hydro Review)
COMMENTARY:
• An environmental advocate in Maryland says an amendment to the state constitution is a viable tool in the fight against climate change. (Bay Journal)
• A nonprofit energy policy organization says New York should reverse its policy to automatically oppose every gas transmission pipeline. (Westfaironline)
• A developer says Connecticut law must be changed to allow net metering for the solar industry to recover in the state. (CT Mirror)