COAL: A New Hampshire coal plant is pouring millions of gallons of hot water into the Merrimack River, which environmental groups say hurts local aquatic species and gives a boost to invasive ones. (Boston Herald)

SOLAR:
• Maryland’s Baltimore County has set a goal to power all of its facilities with renewable energy by 2026; with 35% coming from solar panels on two closed landfills. (WBAL)
• An energy company wants to construct a 140-175 MW solar facility on the site of its now-dormant coal plant in Niagara County, New York. (Buffalo News)
• Some low-income New Yorkers living in New York City Housing Authority buildings may soon be able to purchase reduced-cost energy through rooftop community solar projects. (Bklyner)
• In a few weeks, a Pennsylvania municipal wastewater treatment agency expects to begin operations at a 5 MW solar array — which they say is the largest microgrid in the state to date. (WTAJ)
• Plans to install a small solar array on the roof of a historic hotel in Bennington, Vermont, have been filed with the state regulator. (Bennington Banner)

PENSIONS: Rhode Island’s general treasurer believes the state public pension fund will divest almost half of its financial interests in fossil fuel companies by this summer. (Providence Journal)

BATTERY STORAGE: A new Pennsylvania report highlights strategies for encouraging battery storage system installations, including an energy storage target. (Utility Dive)

CYBERSECURITY: The data of over 11,000 Eversource Energy customers in Massachusetts was exposed last month, but the utility doesn’t believe the data was accessed. (New Haven Register)

WASTE-TO-ENERGY: Supermarket chain Hannaford eliminated its food waste for the first time last year by sending food that couldn’t be donated to people or fed to livestock to an anaerobic digester for power production. (Times Union)

NATURAL GAS: Pennsylvania business and industry groups write the Biden administration to promote natural gas as part of climate planning. (Pittsburgh Business Journal, subscription)

RENEWABLE ENERGY: A Vermont distillery claims to be the first such certified climate neutral distillery in the country, a milestone achieved through solar panel installations and switching over to renewable natural gas. (NBC 5)

COMMENTARIES:
• A state environmental agency leader in Massachusetts says that environmental progress must also benefit vulnerable communities. (Telegram & Gazette)
• A clean energy advocate says Maryland should embrace climate action to protect its coastline and reduce the health impacts of pollution. (Maryland Matters)
• An environmental and labor leader say offshore wind presents a “tremendous” opportunity for Maine and can co-exist with the state’s fishing industry. (Bangor Daily News)

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.