CLIMATE: Maryland releases a climate action plan to achieve net-zero carbon emissions by 2045,14 months later than directed by the legislature. (Maryland Matters)

ALSO: A new report says climate-related coastal flooding in Massachusetts is expected to surge with costs estimated to rise 36%. (Boston Globe) 

EMISSIONS:
• Recent reports suggest Rhode Island is significantly underreporting its emissions, putting its state targets at risk. (ecoRI)
• Advocates say draft regulations to put a price on carbon in Pennsylvania devalue the benefits of combined heat and power and would instead disadvantage them compared to higher emitting technologies. (Pittsburgh Post-Gazette)

GRID: Federal regulators end a proceeding that delayed capacity auctions in PJM that critics say hampered state programs to integrate renewable resources. (Utility Dive)

UTILITIES: Pennsylvania utilities urge state regulators to resume shut-offs for non-payment as fewer customers apply for assistance.  (Philadelphia Inquirer)

ELECTRIC VEHICLES:
• Pennsylvania announces grants of more than $900,000 to install 16 electric vehicle fast-charging stations statewide. (Pennsylvania Capital Star)
• Connecticut legislators introduce a bill to promote electric vehicle sales with a renewed push to allow manufacturers to sell directly to consumers without opening a dealership. (CT Insider)

OFFSHORE WIND: A survey in Rhode Island shows that recreational boaters avoid the state’s five-turbine offshore wind farm while fishermen go near them as fish tend to congregate at their foundations. (Westerly Sun)

COMMENTARY:
• Transmission advocates in New England call for a major federal investment in infrastructure to grow the economy and help integrate renewable energy. (CT Mirror)
• An editorial board says Pennsylvania is at a crossroads as the fracking boom has failed to fulfill its promises and works against the state’s climate goals. (Philadelphia Inquirer)
• Maine’s Public Advocate is an “enthusiastic supporter” of the state’s floating wind farm initiative, saying it offers long-term benefits to consumers and promises to help fight climate change. (Portland Press Herald)
• A local official in Massachusetts says municipal electric utilities that would be the main customers of a controversial biomass plant seeking state subsidies show little interest in signing onto the project. (CommonWealth Magazine)

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.