DRILLING: A federal judge rejects a lawsuit led by several Republican lawmakers in Pennsylvania seeking to overturn a moratorium on natural gas drilling in the Delaware River basin, but allows several municipal plaintiffs to refile their challenges. (Associated Press)

GRID: A Maine ethics commission decides to continue investigating the roles of a limited liability corporation and an out-of-state political consultant in the fight over Central Maine Power’s transmission line project. (Portland Press Herald)

OFFSHORE WIND: The Biden administration formally announces its intent to sell leases for offshore wind farm development between New Jersey and New York’s Long Island. (New York Times)

HYDROPOWER: Connecticut River advocates want a Massachusetts agency to consider fish safety, recreational access and funding as it begins a water quality review of three hydroelectric dams. (New Hampshire Union Leader)

NATURAL GAS:
• Following local environmentalists’ criticisms, a New Jersey sewage utility withdraws an air permit application so it can reconfigure its plans to install a natural gas plant to power its facilities. (NJ.com)
• Residents of a coastal Connecticut town push back against a proposed 9.66 MW fuel cell power plant that would be sited in an area already full of light industrial facilities. (Energy News Network)

UTILITIES:
• Two Connecticut utilities appeal the state regulators’ decision to lower their return on equity following widespread ire over their actions before, during and after Tropical Storm Isaias nearly a year ago. (Hartford Courant)
• United Illuminating Co.’s Connecticut ratepayers soon may see a roughly 5%  reduction in their total bills if state regulators approve an amended rate agreement. (New Haven Register)

BIOMASS: Several towns in Massachusetts’ Franklin County have passed or are considering resolutions opposing state subsidies for biomass facilities over environmental concerns. (Greenfield Recorder)

TRANSPORTATION:
• Rhode Island climate advocates still see pathways to join the Transportation and Climate Initiative, while Vermont and other states are in “wait and see mode.” (ecoRI news, Bennington Banner)
• Climate activists and sympathetic lawmakers are frustrated the Transportation and Climate Initiative wasn’t able to pass Connecticut’s legislature despite its large majorities of Democrats. (Hartford Courant)

SOLAR: Officials in an upstate New York town continue the site review for a proposed 180 MW solar array. (NNY360)

CLIMATE: An upstate New York county establishes a local emissions baseline to reference as it considers future climate crisis mitigation efforts and seeks a state climate certification. (NNY360)

COMMENTARY: Three former Maine utility commissioners think seizing the assets of two investor-owned utilities and forming a new government power authority is a bad idea. (Portland Press-Herald)

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Bridget Reed Morawski

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.