NUCLEAR: New Jersey regulators this week will take a closer look at the value of the state’s nuclear power plants and how much ratepayers should pay to subsidize them. (NJ Spotlight)

GRID:
• Changes in federal leadership could help resolve market issues in New England that limit clean energy adoption. (CT Mirror)
• Experts say New England needs to accelerate adoption of battery storage to cut emissions, but technical and policy obstacles stand in the way. (New Hampshire Public Radio)
• A Maine advocate says a recent analysis indicates New England’s grid “needs to be roughly triple in size” and that offshore wind will be critical to decarbonizing. (RTO Insider)

WIND:
• An employee-owned Maine construction firm could be shut out of offshore wind work under a proposed agreement requiring union labor. (Portland Press Herald)
• Opponents of a Vermont wind farm hope to use a stormwater drainage permit review process to impose more restrictions on the project. (VT Digger) 

EFFICIENCY: A Connecticut bill would require new or renovated large buildings to use less energy than the state building code’s limits, but homebuilders contend it will make it hard to build affordable multifamily housing. (Energy News Network)

OIL & GAS: President Biden’s infrastructure plan could help shore up Pennsylvania’s chronically underfunded program to plug abandoned oil wells. (Pittsburgh Post-Gazette)

PIPELINES:
• Pennsylvania advocates say a court ruling against Sunoco earlier this month exemplifies how little power residents have against pipeline developers. (Spotlight PA)
• Activists in New Jersey rally to protest a proposed new compressor station. (NorthJersey.com)

ELECTRIC VEHICLES: Massachusetts announces $1 million in grants to help fleet managers adopt electric vehicles. (Patriot Ledger)

BIOFUEL: A hearing will be held this week on plans to increase production at a New Hampshire biodiesel plant. (Valley News)

CLIMATE:
• New York’s pension fund is backing an effort by an activist hedge fund to name climate advocates to Exxon’s board. (Reuters)
• A New Jersey report recommends state incentives to help people move away from areas at risk from sea level rise. (Associated Press)
• Maine’s largest law firm starts a climate change team: “We’re seeing climate change pop up in almost every practice in the firm.” (MaineBiz)
• New York Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez says environmental activists have “deeply influenced” the way Democratic leadership approaches climate change. (The Hill)

COMMENTARY: A Pennsylvania advocate talks about the damage that coal mining caused to his hometown. (Philadelphia Inquirer)

CORRECTION: A commentary item in Friday’s digest incorrectly referred to Massachusetts’ recently passed climate law as a “proposed” bill. 

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Ken Paulman

Ken is the director of the Energy News Network at Fresh Energy and is a founding editor of both Midwest Energy News and Southeast Energy News. Prior to joining Fresh Energy, he was the managing editor for online news at Minnesota Public Radio. He started his journalism career in 2002 as a copy editor for the Duluth News Tribune before spending five years at the Spokesman-Review in Spokane, Washington, where he worked as a copy editor, online producer, features editor and night city editor. A Nebraska native, Ken has a bachelor's degree from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and a master's degree from the University of Oregon. He is a member of the Society of Professional Journalists and Investigative Reporters and Editors.