OFFSHORE WIND: Federal officials tell Vineyard Wind that its decision to pause its application for an offshore wind development in Massachusetts will require a new application and will delay it by at least a year. (Bloomberg)
ALSO:
• The developer says the project can be restarted quickly and will not lose much time in its regulatory review. (E&E News, subscription)
• In an interview, the former CEO of Deepwater Wind says there have been “unrealistic expectations” about how fast offshore wind would develop. (E&E News)
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PIPELINES: A Boston Globe investigation shows that a six-year fight by community residents against a compressor station had little chance of success before state and federal authorities.
UTILITIES:
• Consumer advocates in New Jersey ask state regulators to suspend pending utility rate increases while they sort out a backlog of more than $442 million in late payments caused by the pandemic. (NJ Spotlight)
• Vermont Legal Aid asks the state to reimpose a moratorium on utility shutoffs. (Rutland Herald)
GRID: Maryland and other states that may leave PJM over a controversial rule for capacity markets must decide whether to wait for more favorable rules from a reconstituted federal regulatory board. (Utility Dive)
SOLAR:
• A state auditor says Massachusetts law for payments by solar developers to host communities is outdated and biased against smaller towns and favors wealthier ones. (Solar Power World)
• A historic Connecticut farm that closed two years ago is approved by state siting officials for a solar array. (Hartford Courant)
BIOFUELS: A biofuels company in New Hampshire that processes used cooking oil copes with raw materials shortages as the pandemic closes or curtails restaurant operations. (Concord Monitor)
CLIMATE: A Vermont county is the first in the state to conduct a climate study that pinpoints origins of greenhouse gases and determines its largest sources are transportation, buildings and agriculture. (VT Digger)
POLITICS: A former leader of the Republicans in the Maine Senate and critic of a proposed power line from Canada blasts his party for being passed over for a seat on a committee that oversees utilities and energy policy. (Bangor Daily News)
COMMENTARY:
• A former college professor says renewable energy embodies the “Live Free” sentiments of New Hampshire. (Concord Monitor)
• An editorial board praises a city council for meeting its self-imposed deadline to draft a 100% clean energy plan. (Keene Sentinel)