GRID: Lawmakers are considering legislation to propel development of a transmission line that would run renewable energy out of Maine’s northernmost county — a project that sees next to no criticism from the public, officials or experts. (Maine Public Radio)

ALSO:
• Although workers only recently began clearing trees for the New England Clean Energy Connect transmission line, they’ll have to stop in June and July to protect newborn northern long-eared bats. (Associated Press)
• Western states may get the most attention for their development of large-scale battery storage systems, but significant battery storage projects and policies are coming out of East Coast states like Rhode Island, Maryland and New Hampshire, too. (Energy Storage News)

OFFSHORE WIND: A Maine marine resources agency meets with lobster fishers to understand their concerns regarding turbine configuration and navigation considerations in the Gulf of Maine. (Mount Desert Islander)

SOLAR:
• Vermont’s natural resources agency wants a solar developer to study grassland birds that nest in a field where they intend to site a 30-acre solar array. (VTDigger)
• As a developer looks to bring the first solar farm to a western New York town, the village considers what its policy on solar development should include. (Genesee Country Express)

ELECTRIC VEHICLES:
• An electric aircraft company wants to bring a training and assembly facility — as well as hundreds of jobs — to Vermont’s Burlington International Airport. (news release)
• A northwestern Maryland county hires consultants to suggest how best to transition its over 1,200 vehicles to electric. (Frederick News-Post)

UTILITIES:
• Both New York’s state assembly and senate pass legislation that would require the public service commission to include a consumer advocate. (Observer)
• Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf withdraws his nominee for the state public service commission after Republican lawmakers threaten a ‘no’ vote over intentions to join the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative. (StateImpact Pennsylvania)
• Facing a $2.1 million revenue deficit, Burlington Electric plans to increase its rates for the first time in over 10 years. (VTDigger)

HYDROPOWER: A northern Massachusetts town installs a small hydroelectric turbine at a water supply station, which it partially funded through state grants. (Sentinel & Enterprise, subscription)

EFFICIENCY:
• A southern Maine town wants to stop curbside idling. (Portsmouth Herald)
• Massachusetts home builders say the recent state climate bill could add tens of thousands of dollars to new home prices because of net-zero emission standards. (CBS 4 Boston)

WASTE-TO-ENERGY: A waste-to-energy project that would convert Ben & Jerry’s ice cream waste into 1 MW of electricity may begin construction in fall 2022. (news release)

Avatar photo

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.