TRANSPORTATION: New Jersey regulators release a straw proposal on funding electric vehicle infrastructure that relies on private capital instead of ratepayer funds. (NJ Spotlight)
ALSO: A leader of the Massachusetts Senate criticizes a decision to delay a multi-state transportation emissions initiative over COVID-19, saying the pandemic presents a lost opportunity. (State House News Service)
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EMISSIONS:
• A federal appeals court rejects a lawsuit by Maryland against the Environmental Protection Agency over pollution drift from upwind states, but allows one from Delaware to continue. (Bloomberg Law)
• Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf vetoes a bill to pause new regulations in the state during the COVID-19 state of emergency that would have stopped efforts to join a regional emissions compact. (StateImpact Pennsylvania)
UTILITIES:
• Utility executives say the coronavirus pandemic creates dramatic shifts in their operations, though they so far say financial stability is not at risk. (E&E News, subscription required)
• Some Maine utility customers with unusually high electric bills are trying to understand whether they qualify for an audit under a program required by regulators to resolve billing disputes with Central Maine Power. (Bangor Daily News)
SOLAR:
• Panasonic restarts solar panel manufacturing at the Buffalo Gigafactory suspended by the coronavirus pandemic, but major tenant Tesla remains silent on its plans. (The Verge)
• A western New York county and a solar developer signs contracts to build two projects totaling 37 MW on capped landfills that should be operating in late 2021. (FingerLakes1.com)
CLEAN ENERGY: Several towns in a Pennsylvania county mobilize to promote transition to 100% clean energy in their communities. (The Intelligencer)
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NUCLEAR: The annual public meeting by federal regulators to assess the safety of the Seabrook nuclear plant will be held via a webinar on June 3 due to COVID-19. (Seacoast Online)
COMMENTARY: The Natural Resources Defense Council says coal-fired electricity generation in Pennsylvania is already in decline, but the industry unfairly blames its demise on proposed state membership in a regional cap-and-trade emissions compact. (news release)