GRID: Over a foot of snow accumulated in Maryland, Delaware and southern New Jersey yesterday, leading to thousands of power outages that appear to have been largely resolved as of 7:36 a.m. (NBC News, Salisbury Daily Times, PowerOutages.US)

SOLAR:
• Massachusetts regulators take a leap toward formally doubling the state’s solar incentive program by ordering investor-owned utilities to propose how to recover the estimated $3.6 billion cost from ratepayers. (E&E News, Commonwealth Magazine)
• State regulators approve a 50 MW solar array in a central New York town expected to generate enough power for over 12,000 homes in the state. (news release)

EFFICIENCY:
• Maine’s energy efficiency program administrator is offering larger incentives for nursing homes and assisted living facilities to upgrade their HVAC and air filtration systems, both to filter viruses and increase energy efficiency. (Energy News Network)
• New York City housing officials approve financing for the initial phase of a 116-acre oceanfront development pitched as the city’s first net-zero community. (Archinect)
• A proposed New Hampshire bill would establish incremental system benefits charge increases to fund state energy efficiency programs, with an amendment imposing a deadline to act upon the state utility regulator. (New Hampshire Bulletin)

UTILITIES: New York Gov. Kathy Hochul signs a bill requiring most electric and gas utilities to detail top executives’ compensation over $125,000. (Newsday)

CLIMATE: Off-the-record sources say Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf threatened to withhold grants from districts that didn’t vote to approve the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative. (Pennsylvania Capital-Star)

TRANSIT:
• Massachusetts regulators file to begin a three-month regulatory process to adopt the Advanced Clean Trucks rule, which mandates a speedier transition to zero-emission light- and heavy-duty trucks. (Cape Cod News Center)
• New York regulators finalize amendments to adopt the Advanced Clean Trucks rule. (RTO Insider, subscription)
• Transit advocates say Boston’s fare-free bus pilot program could result in a “real sea shift … across the region and state” in terms of how free transportation is viewed. (Boston Public Radio)

CLEAN ENERGY:
• Rhode Island legislators’ energy-related agenda in 2022 will likely include the reintroduction of two pairs of bills: one mandating an electric vehicle conversion for state vehicles by the end of the decade, and another requiring the sale of only renewably resourced electricity by 2030. (ecoRI)
• The drama over Central Maine Power’s controversial transmission line project in 2021 might merely serve as a taste for energy fights to come in the state. (Bangor Daily News)

GAS:
• Almost 100 families living in Staten Island, New York, public housing haven’t had cooking gas since March 2020 and likely won’t have it restored before spring. (SI Live)
• New York City natural gas spot prices have quintupled since Dec. 30 amid a snap of winter weather along the East Coast. (Bloomberg)

WIND: New Jersey regulators explain that if wind turbines are installed too far from shore, the power they generate may become prohibitively expensive. (Associated Press)

COMMENTARY: The leaders of two Pennsylvania environmental nonprofits argue if Philadelphia Gas Works is working against the city’s interests, “new leadership is needed … that works in tandem with Philadelphia’s climate goals.” (WHYY)

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.