TRANSPORTATION: New York City’s MTA is in dire straits, according to a comptroller’s report; the agency technically saved money by eliminating many hourly positions last year, yet still faces budget and revenue problems as ridership remains low. (Streetsblog, Bloomberg)
ALSO:
• A report finds most modes of public transit across New England saw major ridership declines during the pandemic and had yet to see a strong rebound as of June. (New Hampshire Public Radio)
• Massachusetts environmental justice advocates want more air quality monitoring near highways, hoping accurate data will make resources available for communities long hurt by traffic pollution. (Energy News Network)
• Pennsylvania’s Port Authority of Allegheny County adopts its first 25-year transportation plan, which includes 18 new projects, such as light rail extensions, totaling over $3.7 billion. (Pennsylvania Business Report)
UTILITIES:
• New York State Electric & Gas cancels a land auction that caused uproar across the Finger Lakes region, where some residents wanted hundreds of shoreline acres to be permanently conserved. (Auburn Citizen)
• Maine’s utility regulator begins a summary investigation into Central Maine Power’s management structure, ordering the utility to draft a long-term plan to maintain service improvement progress. (Portland Press-Herald)
HYDROELECTRIC: Brookfield Renewable sues Maine for allegedly violating a fish passage standard agreement the state set for four Kennebec River hydroelectric dams as it tried to compel the developer to decommission one dam. (Bangor Daily News)
WIND:
• Ocean City, Maryland, examines recent offshore wind farm proposals at a hearing, where some officials voice concerns with aesthetic and environmental impacts, but most participants say they want the wind farms expanded. (Baltimore Sun, Maryland Matters)
• The Bureau of Ocean Management will review proposals for two separate wind farms nine miles off the New Jersey coast, one of which would have a roughly 1.5 GW capacity. (The Hill)
• In New Jersey, the expensive redevelopment of a former oil storage field and refinery into an offshore wind infrastructure center gives hope to residents for a better financial future. (NJ.com)
ELECTRIC VEHICLES:
• Realizing an electric vehicle rebate program is too popular, New Jersey utility regulators consider cutting the amount of each rebate tier in half to try to maximize how many residents can access funds. (RTO Insider, subscription)
• A Watertown, New York, councilmember wants the city to convert its vehicle fleet to electric “sooner rather than later.”(NNY360)
• A western Maine high school will host a free electric vehicle and solar expo this weekend, complete with test drives and demonstrations. (Advertiser Democrat)
CLEAN ENERGY: Burlington, Vermont, voters will consider whether to approve a $20 million bond to fund priorities like new electric vehicle infrastructure and the conversion of a peaker plant from oil to biodiesel. (news release)
GRID:
• Pennsylvania-based PPL Corp. purchases part of the SOO Green HVDC Link transmission project, which will bring wind power from the MISO grid to PJM Interconnection. (RTO Insider, subscription)
• Jersey Central Power and Light files an offshore wind transmission investment proposal with New Jersey regulators and PJM Interconnection. (POWER Engineering)
PIPELINES: While some New Jersey residents are thrilled the PennEast pipeline will no longer be developed, Pennsylvanian U.S. Senator Pat Toomey laments potential job losses. (NJ Spotlight, news release)
SOLAR: A developer wants to construct a 282,000-square-foot solar carport in White Plains, New York, alongside a new apartment and office complex. (Westchester & Fairfield County Business Journal)