OFFSHORE WIND: Federal regulators reviewing the Vineyard Wind offshore wind proposed off Massachusetts say they need another month and will render a decision in mid-January. (WBUR)
ALSO: A delay in developing offshore wind in New Jersey until mid-decade has implications on whether the state should leave PJM over disputes on clean energy policies. (NJ Spotlight)
SOLAR:
• A new report from Maine regulators says that if all solar projects currently proposed in the state are built, a combination of lost utility revenue and increased costs to connect the developments could raise consumer bills. (Maine Public)
• An aquaculture company in Maryland is using solar energy to power its operation using barges that require less space than in open water to grow and harvest oysters. (WTOP)
TRANSPORTATION: Massachusetts’ energy secretary says the state is fully committed to a regional program to cut vehicle emissions, countering more cautious comments recently made by Gov. Charlie Baker. (CommonWealth Magazine)
NUCLEAR: Federal regulators are poised to approve the sale of the partially- melted down reactor at Three Mile Island in Pennsylvania despite local objections and without a public hearing. (Pittsburgh Post-Gazette)
CLEAN ENERGY:
• Massachusetts’ top energy official is hopeful the Biden administration will be more receptive to the state’s clean energy policies but says other challenges remain in meeting decarbonization goals by 2050. (WWLP)
• A New York appeals court rules an incomplete state report on developing a statewide energy plan does not have to be released and should be considered private interagency communications. (Albany Times Union)
ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE: The Maryland Environmental Justice Commission says it is “reenergized” for the upcoming legislative session, acknowledging criticism that it was ineffective this year. (Maryland Matters)
HYDROPOWER: Municipal power systems in Massachusetts and Connecticut begin receiving electricity from Hydro-Quebec under a new five-year agreement. (Salem News)
COMMENTARY:
• A member of Vermont’s legislative energy committee says Gov. Phil Scott should drop his opposition to the state’s new climate law, which was enacted over his veto, and should begin implementing it. (VT Digger)
• Connecticut residents oppose a solar project that requires clear-cutting forests that would lose the carbon-sequestration benefits of woodlands. (CT Mirror)