NUCLEAR: Vermont officials have struck a deal with the owner of the Vermont Yankee nuclear plant and a demolition company, which will hasten the decommissioning of the power plant. (Rutland Herald)
ALSO: PSEG and Exelon, owners of the Salem nuclear power plant in New Jersey, plan to stop funding capital projects for the plant – citing the state’s delay in passing a nuclear subsidy bill. (ROI-NJ)
***SPONSORED LINK: Join 100+ leading transmission executives & policymakers, including Southern Company, MISO, NYISO and New York Transco, LLC at the 21st Transmission Summit East, March 7-9, Register here!***
NET METERING:
• The Maine Senate has passed a bill to blunt the effects of an earlier net metering policy championed by the LePage administration. (PV Magazine)
• Net metering in Vermont is pitting renewable energy advocates and developers against state regulators and power companies. (Rutland Herald)
WIND: A new bill introduced in the Maryland General Assembly would prohibit any wind turbines from being erected within 26 miles of the coastline. (Delmarva Daily Times)
SOLAR:
• A large solar array project in Becket, Massachusetts is expected to yield the city $53,000 each year over 20 years – in lieu of property tax payments. (The Berkshire Eagle)
• A solar manufacturer has decided not to construct a plant in Genesee County, New York and will build overseas instead. (Democrat and Chronicle)
• A church in Guilford, Connecticut has gone completely solar – decreasing the church’s carbon footprint and utility costs. (New Haven Register)
• A plan to construct a solar array atop a skating rink in Hartford, Connecticut has fallen through after state regulators rejected an extension request by the developers. (Valley News)
UTILITIES: Northampton, Massachusetts officials are considering forming a joint municipal electric aggregation with the towns of Amherst and Pelham. (Daily Hampshire Gazette)
NATURAL GAS:
• Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan’s support for natural gas is bringing out opposing views from environmentalist and natural gas proponents. (Baltimore Sun)
• New Jersey Natural Gas customers will receive a rate cut and a one-time refund due to the federal tax reform passed last year in Congress. (Asbury Park Press)
OIL AND GAS: The lack of a traditional public hearing process is not stopping opponents of the Trump administration’s offshore oil and gas plan from speaking out. (Associated Press)
GRID: Residents on a Maine island hope a new microgrid will reduce their dependence on fuel imported from the mainland. (Bangor Daily News)
CLEAN ENERGY: Massachusetts, New Jersey and New York are national leaders in policies to support community-based energy, according to a study. (Institute for Local Self-Reliance)
COMMENTARY:
• New Jersey needs a more robust plan for wind energy, not the recent tepid approach undertaken by state regulators, says a CentralJersey.com editorial.
• Rhode Island should focus on renewable energy over a proposed natural gas power plant to reduce its carbon footprint, says a Harvard University graduate student. (GoLocalProv)
• A New York Post editorial says that New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s decisions regarding natural gas are being driven by environmentalists and as a result are driving up consumer costs.
• A WBUR commentary says Massachusetts needs to up its game when it comes to offshore wind energy development so it doesn’t fall behind other states in the region.