WIND: In a nod to fishing industry objections, Maine Gov. Janet Mills proposes a 10-year moratorium on offshore wind within three miles of shore, but will continue to support a floating turbine pilot project. (Portland Press Herald)
ALSO:
• Developers of the Vineyard Wind project inform the Biden administration that they will resubmit their plans after withdrawing the project in December. (State House News Service)
• Officials in a Long Island town approve a plan for an underground power cable to bring electricity from New York’s first wind farm to shore. (Dan’s Papers)
EFFICIENCY:
• A provision in Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s budget proposal would allow building owners in New York City to bypass efficiency requirements by purchasing renewable energy from in-state projects. (Politico)
• Vermont lawmakers are expected to introduce a bill today to weatherize 120,000 homes over the next 10 years. (VT Digger)
SOLAR: Debate over a bill that would allow utility-scale solar development on New Jersey farmland highlights the challenge of quickly developing renewable energy in the country’s most densely populated state. (NJ Spotlight)
TRANSPORTATION:
• Advocates in New Jersey are hopeful that emissions from diesel trucks can be addressed under the Biden administration. (NJ.com)
• Connecticut’s $9.7 billion transportation plan includes support for electric vehicles and non-motorized options. (Transport Topics)
• Officials in Schenectady, New York unveil 10 new electric vehicle charging stations, part of a National Grid program to expand charging availability. (News 10)
NUCLEAR: Advocates and local officials are skeptical of a plan to build a small modular reactor at the site of the Oyster Creek plant in New Jersey. (Asbury Park Press)
PIPELINES: Opponents of a Massachusetts compressor station criticize regulators for not informing them of a decision to start the facility, saying they learned about it from social media instead. (Patriot Ledger)
HYDROPOWER: The operator of a series of dams on the Connecticut River proposes maintaining a more steady flow to address concerns raised in a federal licensing review. (Brattleboro Reformer)
COMMENTARY:
• A law professor questions the ongoing legal challenges that have delayed the Clean Energy Connect transmission line: “When is enough, enough?” (Portland Press Herald)
• An advocate says a proposal to use a gas plant on New York’s Seneca Lake to support bitcoin mining would create unnecessary pollution and put the lake at risk. (Albany Times Union)
• An official in a Massachusetts city says lawmakers should reject plans to make biomass plants eligible for renewable energy credits. (MassLive)