CLIMATE: Concerns mount in Massachusetts as unconfirmed reports emerge that Gov. Charlie Baker may veto a sweeping climate bill passed last week over provisions he considered too drastic. (CommonWealth Magazine)

ALSO:
• Connecticut officials say reaching zero-carbon emissions in two decades is feasible but would require changes in the way the regional grid operates. (Energy News Network)
• A new organization of legislators aligned with social justice and labor groups launches in Rhode Island and introduces a package of bills including climate legislation. (UpriseRI)
• Maryland legislators are poised to introduce legislation this week that would require net-zero emissions in the state by 2045. (Maryland Matters)

EFFICIENCY: Months after record participation by state and local governments helped pass an ambitious building energy code update, the organization that oversees the process is taking steps that would sideline thousands of public sector members from voting on future updates. (Energy News Network)

NATURAL GAS: The failed move last year by a Massachusetts city to ban natural gas from new building construction has turned into a statewide effort with new tactics to overcome legal objections. (S&P Global)

OFFSHORE WIND: U.S. Sen. Chuck Schumer urges GE to manufacture offshore wind turbines in New York as the state is proposing a staging area for projects along the Hudson River. (Albany Times Union)

GRID: Officials acknowledge an undersea power cable that connects Long Island and Connecticut has been out of service since last summer due to an equipment failure. (Newsday)

SOLAR: Officials in a New Jersey town approve a solar development that will generate $260,000 annually in tax revenue for local government and schools. (Daily Journal) 

WASTE-TO-ENERGY: Connecticut towns preparing for the closure of a trash-burning facility next year may consider a “pay-as-you-throw” concept that charges residents for each bag of trash they generate. (WNPR)

ACTIVISM: Defendants charged with disrupting rail shipments to New Hampshire’s last coal plant will ask for jury trials when they are sentenced at a district court on Thursday. (Concord Monitor)

ELECTRIC VEHICLES: A bill intended to streamline permitting for electric vehicle charging stations in New Jersey municipalities passes the state senate. (TapInto.net)

COMMENTARY:
• An environmental organization praises a sweeping Massachusetts climate law and urges Gov. Charlie Baker to sign it. (Union of Concerned Scientists)
• An energy analyst says the proposed Clean Energy Equity Act in New Jersey would bring benefits to currently underserved and low-income communities. (NJ.com)

Bill is a freelance journalist based outside Albany, New York. As a former New England correspondent for RTO Insider, he has written about energy for newspapers, magazines and other publications for more than 20 years. He has an extensive career in trade publications and newspapers, mostly focused on the utility sector, covering such issues as restructuring, renewable energy and consumer affairs. Bill covers Maine, Vermont and New Hampshire and also compiles the Northeast Energy News daily email digest.