WIND: A group calling itself “Nantucket Residents Against Turbines” plans to file a lawsuit today to try to stop the offshore Vineyard Wind project over concerns about construction proximity to endangered whales. (Boston Herald)

SOLAR:
• A Vermont energy developer works to get permission from a central Maine town’s planning board to build a small solar array on less than 15 acres of pastureland. (Sun Journal)
• A southern Maine town begins to determine how and when to tax solar farms as more developers grow interested in siting projects there. (Sun Journal)
• A developer installs five rooftop solar installations totalling less than 1 MW on several municipal buildings in a small coastal Connecticut town. (news release)

OIL & GAS: New Jersey drivers will soon see lower gas taxes, as state officials say a temporary increase last year offset lower driving miles amid the pandemic as predicted and is no longer necessary. (NJ.com)

UTILITIES:
• Maine’s utility commission decides Central Maine Power can charge ratepayers over $34 million for storm restoration work made more costly by pandemic protocols, but postpones a decision on how long the utility can impose higher rates. (Portland Press Herald)
• Central Hudson Gas and Electric Corporation agrees to reduce the amount of a proposed rate hike, and also commits to curtailing fracked gas sales and providing translated customer materials. (MidHudson News)

GRID:
• Fewer than 1% of Eversource’s Connecticut customers experienced power outages during Tropical Storm Henri, but the state’s top utility regulator was one of them. (New Haven Register)
• Utilities, trade groups and power developers decry the suggested replacement for PJM Interconnection’s contested wholesale pricing rule that sought to minimize the impact of individual states’ energy policies on the capacity market. (S&P Global)
• Independent power producers and labor unions want New York to support non-emitting generating resources not defined as renewable, such as nuclear, as it pursues decarbonization goals; others argue wind, solar and battery storage should be the near-term priority. (Utility Dive)
• In Pennsylvania’s western Lawrence County, Penn Power begins construction on a new substation to reinforce local transmission and support increased power demand. (news release)

HYDROELECTRIC: Hydro Québec CEO Sophie Brochu speaks about the company’s plans to export Canadian hydropower into the U.S. Northeast. (S&P Global)

RENEWABLE ENERGY: A Massachusetts research and policy center highlights local examples of environmental progress in Springfield, where solar panels sit atop a capped landfill, and Worcester, which plans to power municipal buildings with just renewables. (MassLive)

CLIMATE: Maryland’s coastal Anne Arundel County seeks a leader for a newly formed climate resiliency authority to help minimize the impacts of climate change and represent the county’s interests. (Baltimore Sun)

COMMENTARY:
• A columnist argues Marylanders should be skeptical of NRG Energy’s push to pass legislation to increase market competition in the state. (Maryland Matters)
• A New Jersey lawmaker writes that increased adoption of electric vehicles, trucks and buses will lead to better public health for residents and their families. (NJ Spotlight)

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.