Editor’s note: A bill proposed in New York would require fashion companies operating in the state to disclose their climate impacts. Yesterday’s digest misstated which companies the bill would affect.
SOLAR:
• The largest municipal solar array in New Hampshire — a 3.3 MW facility sited on a former landfill — comes online in Manchester. (New Hampshire Union Leader)
• Soon-to-be-published Cornell University research shows New Yorkers are more likely to support rooftop and community solar projects than utility-scale farms, suggesting potential facilities could be reconfigured for greater public acceptance. (News 10)
EFFICIENCY: New York City’s deadliest fire in decades was caused by a malfunctioning space heater in a building with poor heating efficiency and insulation, which advocates say highlights how energy efficiency concerns aren’t just a climate issue. (Gizmodo)
TRANSPORTATION:
• A new report compiled by Rhode Island state agencies finds a 100% renewable electricity mandate would incentivize investments in the electric vehicle market. (Providence Business News)
• Some existing New York regulations might stop the state from enacting several clean transportation policies and need to be repealed, advocates say. (WAER)
• Environmentalists say plans to restore or rehabilitate two major NJ Transit centers should extensively incorporate solar and other ‘green’ energy sources. (NJ Advance Media)
OFFSHORE WIND:
• A New Jersey community group sues a federal agency over plans to build an offshore wind farm in the New York Bight, claiming regulators didn’t prepare an in-depth environmental impact report. (Reuters)
• Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker argues in favor of removing the state’s offshore wind power price cap, which some say will help support infrastructure development and job training. (WBUR)
UTILITY BILLS: Massachusetts receives more than double its usual low-income home energy assistance program funding through the federal government’s American Rescue Plan. (State House News Service)
GRID: Exceptionally cold temperatures led ISO New England to bring oil and coal peaker plants into service yesterday, with the fossil fuels respectively making up 17% and 3% of the grid’s energy mix. (Commonwealth Magazine)
CLEAN ENERGY: A northern New Jersey borough resolves to consider climate concerns in its budget and set greenhouse gas reduction goals that match state-level requirements. (Madison Eagle)
CLIMATE:
• A secretive clean heat commission appointed by Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker meets today to begin considering how best to reduce building emissions and transition away from fossil fuel-based heating. (Boston Globe)
• Maryland lawmakers consider raising their carbon emissions reduction goal to a proposed target of 60% from 2006 levels. (Washington Post)
• A Vermont farm argues in court that extreme weather and precipitation associated with climate change, not poor management, are the reason significant agricultural runoff escapes their property. (VT Digger)
GAS:
• Some Pennsylvania lawmakers encourage a western New York gas company to relocate to the Keystone State, hoping the neighboring state’s proposed gas ban will push the firm away. (Pennsylvania Capital-Star)
• Several west Baltimore buildings were evacuated yesterday after a construction contractor hit a gas main line. (WBAL TV)
UTILITIES: Maine utility regulatory staff recommend ending a major financial penalty levied against Central Maine Power over billing errors and an unsatisfactory company response in early 2020, despite continued customer service concerns. (Bangor Daily News)
HYDROELECTRIC: The New Jersey Institute of Technology plans to secure the equivalent of nearly all of its projected power needs from a hydroelectric portfolio. (news release)