GRID: Hydro-Québec halts construction of its part of the controversial New England Clean Energy Connect transmission line that would run Canadian hydropower through Maine, pointing to ongoing litigation tying up the Maine section of the line. (Portland Press Herald)

TRANSPORTATION: Maryland officials approve a contract for the developer taking over work on the long-delayed Purple Line in the Washington, D.C. suburbs; the deal represents a nearly 75% cost increase over the first contractor’s agreement. (Washington Post)

EFFICIENCY:
• New Hampshire’s consumer advocate appeals the state utility regulator’s unpopular efficiency program defunding decision, calling the move “so outrageously inconsistent with applicable principles of New Hampshire law.” (InDepthNH)
• Pennsylvania House Republicans pass a bill seeking to pre-empt localities from adopting building codes that favor all-electric connections over gas. (Associated Press)
• Vermont legislators consider a Clean Heat Standard intended to mirror emissions reductions sought in the state’s electric sector. (WCAX)

SOLAR:
• A Maine town votes to institute a solar development moratorium for 180 days, spurred by residents’ dislike of a planned solar farm that some say would ruin mountain views. (WMTW)
• A western New York town approves new utility-scale solar regulations, which a town supervisor suggests may be reviewed annually for potential alterations. (Lockport Union-Sun & Journal)
• New York’s Chautauqua County authorizes $88 million in tax breaks for a planned 270 MW solar farm with a 20 MW battery storage system. (Buffalo News)

ELECTRIC VEHICLES: General Motors intends to invest $154 million in its Lockport, New York, manufacturing center to enable the facility to make electric vehicles. (WGRZ)

BIOMASS: Responding to a draft state climate action plan that mentions wood consumption decreases, New York’s St. Lawrence County resolves to oppose any state-level wood burning bans that may be proposed. (NNY360)

UTILITY BILLS: New York begins testing its utility payment assistance system nearly two years into the pandemic, distributing around $14,000 of the $2.4 billion in program funds waiting to be used. (Crain’s New York Business)

COURTS: Court observers say federal appeals court judges hearing Baltimore’s lawsuit against fossil fuel companies seemed to doubt the industry’s stance that only the federal government has jurisdiction over similar climate change disputes. (E&E News)

PIPELINES: Two Pittsburgh-area pipeline development projects collectively receive about $1.6 million in state funding. (Observer-Reporter)

JOBS: A new report finds that around 2,600 of Connecticut’s clean energy sector workers lost their jobs in 2020, a nearly 6% loss that is less severe than the U.S. saw in the same year. (Hartford Business Journal)

CLIMATE: New York activists say if the state wants to have a net-zero economy by 2040, it needs to spend $15 billion this year to kick-start the plan. (Times Union)

Bridget is a freelance reporter and newsletter writer based in the Washington, D.C., area. She compiles the Northeast Energy News digest. Bridget primarily writes about energy, conservation and the environment. Originally from Philadelphia, she graduated from Emerson College in 2015 with a degree in journalism and a minor in environmental studies. When she isn’t working on a story, she’s normally on a northern Maine lake or traveling abroad to practice her Spanish language skills.