GRID: New England’s grid operator warns residents and businesses that they may be asked to curb power and gas demand this winter to prevent lengthy brownouts due to gas supply concerns. (Maine Public)

ALSO:
• Work stoppage on Central Maine Power’s transmission expansion project also includes its $250 million construction project to upgrade a converter substation in Lewiston. (Sun Journal)
• Maine regulators begin soliciting proposals for transmission projects to carry renewable power generated in northern Maine. (Associated Press)
• Just under 12,000 Central Maine Power customers lost power overnight due to strong winds. (WMTW)

POLLUTION: Some Rhode Island state lawmakers say National Grid has failed to tell surrounding communities about two recent oil spills on the Seekonk River. (ecoRI)

TRANSPORTATION:
• Vermont’s transportation secretary says federal infrastructure funds will provide $21 million over five years for a vehicle electrification program, as well as bolster budgets for bike, pedestrian and public transit projects. (VT Digger)
• Boston Mayor Michelle Wu wants to erase fares across public transportation to enhance racial equity and climate justice, but that idea can’t happen without state and federal support. (Grist)

WASTE-TO-ENERGY: A municipal group trying to sell a $90 million waste processing facility in Maine strikes a deal with Bangor Natural Gas to resume the plant’s gas service, which is critical in keeping the facility functional for resale. (Bangor Daily News)

COURTS: A Maine newspaper details what is known about the small Pennsylvania cybersecurity firm suing Central Maine Power’s Connecticut-based parent company Avangrid over alleged bid-rigging; the state’s utility commission notes it will closely observe the proceedings. (Portland Press Herald)

CLIMATE:
• The office of Pennsylvania’s attorney general concludes that joining the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative doesn’t conflict with state law, although the attorney general himself, who is running for governor, has policy concerns. (StateImpact Pennsylvania)
• A new report issued by two environmental nonprofits suggests New York City needs to increase the number of jobs available tending to the city’s green spaces, urban forest and waterfront to fight the climate crisis with nature-based solutions. (City Limits)

HYDROPOWER: Cryptominers continue to flock to upstate New York, lured by cheap hydropower and disused factories where they can set up shop. (New York Times)

SOLAR: USDA grants and loans will provide 12 rural Maine businesses with a cumulative $24.5 million in grants and guaranteed loans for solar projects. (news release)

EFFICIENCY: New York Power Authority partners with 11 municipalities in two northern New York counties on a $2.3 million project to modernize 1,800 street lights with efficient “smart street” lighting. (news release)

GAS: To help mitigate the pandemic’s economic side effects, PECO Energy will provide 900 small businesses in its southeastern Pennsylvania service territory with $500 grants to pay for gas bills. (news release)

COMMENTARY: A former New Jersey governor argues Congress needs to permanently ban offshore oil drilling off the state’s coastline to protect its environment, as well as its tourism, recreation and seafood industries. (NJ.com)

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Bridget Reed Morawski

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.