TRANSPORTATION: Several Massachusetts lawmakers file a proposed ballot question that aims to block the state from joining the Transportation and Climate Initiative. (Patriot Ledger)

NATURAL GAS: A New York court forces National Grid to pause construction at a future LNG transportation hub in New York City, but the utility claims environmental activists who sued to implement the work stoppage don’t understand its plan. (The City)

INFRASTRUCTURE: The U.S. Senate’s bipartisan infrastructure bill is poised to hand billions of dollars to Northeastern states, with reports indicating Rhode Island and Connecticut would get millions for electric vehicle charging stations, while New Jersey would see $4.1 billion for public transit projects. (Providence Journal, NJ Spotlight, New Haven Register)

LABOR: AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka, a Pennsylvania native and lifelong labor champion who led coal miners through major strikes, dies at 72. (E&E News)

RENEWABLES: New Jersey grants hundreds of thousands of dollars to 10 clean energy start-ups focused on projects like solar-powered smart glass and battery recycling. (NJ Spotlight)

UTILITIES: A New Jersey trade group for investor-owned utilities hails the appropriation of $250 million for state ratepayer utility bill assistance as “sorely needed.” (ROI NJ) 

RENEWABLES:
• Two energy developers partner to create floating solar arrays in Massachusetts and the greater Northeast region. (news release)
• Powered by rooftop solar panels and geothermal wells, a Connecticut elementary school is poised to be the first net-zero school in the state; Gov. Ned Lamont visited the school to tout government funding for related renovations. (Journal Inquirer)

HYDROELECTRIC: A New York energy agency solicits proposals for renewable energy certificates from wind and hydropower projects that have been operational since before January 1, 2015. (news release)

COMMENTARY:
• A Pennsylvania editorial board says state government officials were willfully ignorant about the approval of “forever chemicals” in the operation of numerous fracking wells. (Philadelphia Inquirer)
• Ocean City, Maryland, can mend its branding problem and appear to be a sustainable and responsible vacation choice by supporting nearby offshore wind development and starting a recycling program, an editorial board suggests. (Baltimore Sun)

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.