CLIMATE: The Maryland state senate passed a major climate bill Monday night that checked off a lot of boxes for climate activists but didn’t deliver on a major wish-list item: banning fossil fuel-fired heating in new buildings. (Baltimore Sun)

ALSO: A majority of Maryland residents say climate change is causing major impacts on extreme weather, sea levels, and other issues affecting the state, a poll finds. (Baltimore Sun)

ELECTRIC VEHICLES:
• A leading Massachusetts state senator wants Boston’s transit system to accelerate its bus fleet electrification plans and foreshadows new legislation to expedite those plans. (Commonwealth Magazine)
• A technology center in New York City’s Brooklyn Navy Yard works to develop smarter bi-directional car batteries to help provide backup power during peak demand. (GreenBiz)
• Rhode Island plans to offer electric vehicle rebates this summer, although a lead utility regulator acknowledges the subsidies don’t solve the electrification problem. (Providence Business First)

AFFORDABILITY:
• New Jersey’s utility shut-off moratorium ends today — yet only a tenth of likely eligible customers have sought financial assistance. (NJ Spotlight)
• New York activists call on the state to use its federal funding to pay off the massive utility debts accumulated by at least 1.4 million homes, which totaled $1.8 billion as of January. (Associated Press)

CLEAN ENERGY: New Jersey can import clean power to address affordability concerns while pursuing its goal of 100% carbon-free electricity by 2050, a Princeton University study finds. (NJ Spotlight News)

TRANSIT:
• Connecticut legislators introducing a new zoning bill seek to increase housing density alongside train stations in a bid to reduce housing costs and commuting times. (CT Mirror)
• Dozens of parking spots will be taken off the streets of Burlington, Vermont, in favor of new “safer” bike lanes if a resolution before the city council is passed. (NBC 5)

GRID: Pennsylvania exported more electricity per megawatt last year than any other state in the country, according to a new state report. (Pittsburgh Business Times)

SOLAR:
• Legislation passed last year in Maine has slowed community solar proposals and construction by instituting new requirements, as have questions about the state program’s affordability and the ability to connect arrays to the grid. (Bangor Daily News)
• Pennsylvania added 15 solar arrays to state parks and forests last year as the state works toward clean electricity goals. (PennLive, subscription)

COMMENTARY:
• Vermont’s proposed Clean Heat Standard will create more price stability for customers and firm emissions reduction goals for fuel providers to meet, four climate advocates write. (VT Digger)
• A columnist highlights a Massachusetts town’s pilot project that’s installing centralized heat pump systems to warm multiple buildings, arguing it could benefit New Hampshire as well. (Concord Monitor)

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.