ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE: In a surprise move, New Jersey legislators fail to act on a bill to give disadvantaged communities more say in the siting of polluting sources after an intense lobbying against it by business and labor. (NJ Spotlight)

ALSO: Activists want the New York Power Authority to shutter six peaker plants located in disadvantaged communities in New York City hit hard by COVID-19. (Politico)

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CLIMATE: New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo pulls the plug on a $3 billion climate bond on the November ballot, citing financial havoc with state finances caused by the coronavirus pandemic. (Bloomberg)

TRANSMISSION: Despite spending $6.2 million against an anti-transmission line referendum in Maine, Hydro-Quebec says it is not trying to influence an election but rather to “provide facts.” (Bangor Daily News)

OFFSHORE WIND:
• Agency filings submitted to Maryland regulators say larger offshore wind turbines present no significant issues and could be placed further from shore. (The Dispatch)
• Connecticut State Pier officials grant another extension to commercial fishermen and a business to find alternative sites as their New London locations are poised to be converted into an offshore wind staging area. (The Day)

UTILITIES: Connecticut representatives urge state regulators to investigate higher-than-expected utility bills after rate increases went into effect on July 1. (WSHU)

RENEWABLE ENERGY:
• City officials and environmental advocates say the Pittsburgh region is at a “fulcrum point” in its determination to build an economy powered by renewable energy. (Public Source)
• A state legislator pushes a bill to require a biodiesel component in heating fuels to support a plant in northwestern Pennsylvania. (Daily American)

PIPELINES: A New Jersey town wants to intervene in a federal review of a compressor station near a reservoir that would be used to pump natural gas into New York City. (NorthJersey.com)

SOLAR: A community solar project in the Adirondack Mountains of New York is now taking subscriptions and expects to be operating in November. (Adirondack Daily Enterprise)

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GRID: As expected, electricity demand fell in New England during the early stages of the pandemic as most states had stay-at-home orders. (Resources)

COMMENTARY:
• A consumer advocate warns lifting a moratorium on utility shutoffs will further compound the economic impacts of the coronavirus pandemic. (Philadelphia Inquirer)
• Advocates praise the introduction of a bill in Pennsylvania to require declining emissions over time from the power sector. (Environmental Defense Fund)
•A Maryland legislator says the state should stop burning trash to create energy as it harms the environment and is economically inefficient. (Baltimore Business Journal)

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.