DOUBLE YOUR MONEY: Through December 31, your contribution to the Energy News Network will be doubled courtesy of NewsMatch. Give today!
GRID:
• Unforeseen cold snaps and other factors could stretch electricity supplies thin this winter, according to a forecast by ISO New England. (Journal Inquirer)
• Smart grid upgrades offer less risk and more flexibility than expensive power line upgrades, according to a new report. (Energy News Network)
WIND: Nearly 20 wind energy companies will compete in an auction for three lease areas off the coast of Massachusetts tomorrow. (reNEWS)
***SPONSORED LINK: Emissions will rise nearly 3% in 2018, but we have a decade left to avoid dangerous global warming – how can policymakers confront this challenge? Designing Climate Solutions identifies 10 policies, applied to 20 countries, that can keep warming below 2°C.***
SOLAR:
• Developers begin construction on a 5.5 MW solar project in Upstate New York that’s slated to be the largest community solar project in the state. (Westfair Business Publications)
• A town in central Rhode Island passes an emergency moratorium on all but rooftop solar developments after being overwhelmed by 12 proposals for utility-scale solar projects. (Providence Journal)
WASTE-TO-ENERGY: A polluting trash incinerator in Baltimore that emits over 600,000 metric tons of carbon dioxide annually receives millions of dollars a year in renewable energy subsidies. (Grist)
PIPELINES:
• A Pennsylvania judge denies a petition asking utility regulators to block the operation of Sunoco’s Mariner East pipelines. (Reuters)
• Federal regulators approve a 28-mile natural gas pipeline addition that will run from Pennsylvania to Ohio. (CNHI News Service)
FRACKING: New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy receives over 104,000 signed petitions asking him and fellow governors to vote for a permanent fracking ban throughout the Delaware River Basin. (news release)
OIL & GAS:
• Environmental groups sue the Trump administration for allowing companies to conduct seismic oil and gas surveys off the Atlantic coast. (Washington Post)
• Massachusetts’ public utility companies and the top two Democrats in the Legislature support a bill that would require more oversight of natural gas work by engineers. (The Republican, Sentinel & Enterprise)
• Members of a Massachusetts legislative committee grill natural gas executives on public safety during an oversight hearing. (The Republican)
COMMENTARY: Opposition from local fishermen is putting a wind farm planned off the coast of Martha’s Vineyard “in serious jeopardy,” says a Massachusetts radio host. (WBSM)