TRANSPORTATION: A new Massachusetts law directs utilities to find ways to prevent bill spikes from electric vehicle fast-chargers, which can trigger high demand charges. (Energy News Network)

ALSO: Public transit advocates say Massachusetts officials seeking to curb transportation emissions are solely focused on electric vehicles and ignore the role transit and bicycles could play. (Boston Globe)

EFFICIENCY: Providence city council members are pushing for a mandatory energy benchmarking ordinance as participation in a voluntary program has been limited so far. (Energy News Network)

NATURAL GAS:
• Neighbors of a natural gas vaporization plant in Rhode Island say the site has become even more of a nuisance now that it has permission to operate throughout the winter to alleviate shortages. (ecoRI)
• Federal regulators give permission for work to begin on a section of the Leidy South pipeline in Pennsylvania to begin as the developer seeks to complete the project this year. (S&P Global)
• A legislative supporter of Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf’s seventh attempt to enact a natural gas drilling tax says passage is doubtful. (WFMZ)

CLIMATE: Rhode Island Democratic Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse wants an investigation of the Trump administration for possible “climate corruption”  for its ties and policies related to the fossil fuel industry. (E&E News, subscription required)

SOLAR: A New York town opts out of a state law that exempts solar developments from local taxes but officials note that projects could not be built there if they are subject to local levies. (NNY360)

ACTIVISM: Nineteen protesters arrested for blocking a coal train to a New Hampshire power plant won the right to have jury trials to appeal their convictions after they were sentenced to community service. (Concord Monitor)

CLEAN ENERGY: A labor union in Rhode Island says adopting Green New Deal principles to transition to 100% clean energy is the way to lead the state out of recession. (UpriseRI)

COMMENTARY:
• An editorial board meets with the owner of Connecticut’s only nuclear power plants and says the company could operate them well past its current state contract but could easily walk away from them. (The Day)
• The editorial page editor at the meeting says the owner seems too comfortable with maintaining the status quo over waste storage and feels no urgency in finding a permanent site. (The Day)

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.