GAS: Advocates in New York’s Finger Lakes region protest a bitcoin mining operation that has set up shop at a resurrected natural gas-fired power plant and plans to quadruple its generating capacity in 2022. (CBS News)
ALSO:
• Pennsylvania shale gas well drilling permits plummeted 28% in September compared to August, but rose 7% year-over-year during the same period. (S&P Global)
• A building in Buffalo, New York, was evacuated after a construction worker hit a National Fuel gas line with an excavator. (WIVB)
WIND: New York officials announce the state’s largest single offshore wind supply contract: an $86 million award that will turn Albany’s Port of Coeymans into the state’s second major turbine assembly point. (Times Union)
CLIMATE: A new report issued by a nonprofit identifies towns and cities across New England whose critical infrastructure is severely threatened by flooding exacerbated by the climate crisis. (Providence Journal, Bangor Daily News)
PIPELINES: As an Energy Transfer pipeline company faces dozens of charges over alleged environmental negligence in Pennsylvania, many families are left dealing with polluted water. (TribLive)
SOLAR:
• With residents concerned about a handful of pending projects, a Rhode Island city works to formulate a new ordinance limiting solar development to industrial areas and addressing noise pollution. (ecoRI)
• A commercial printer in New York’s mid-Hudson area plans to install a 1.3 MW solar-plus-storage system on its roof. (news release)
TRANSPORTATION: New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio is poised to sign a city council bill requiring the municipal school bus fleet be completely electric by 2035. (news release)
COAL: Officials in a western Pennsylvania town question how to address issues arising from abandoned mines since the federal government failed to reauthorize reclamation funds. (Tribune-Democrat)
UTILITIES: In Springfield, Massachusetts, Eversource continues to fight paying its $44 million tax bill, claiming the city’s financial imposition is “excessive.” (MassLive, subscription)
RENEWABLE ENERGY: A freight rail company signs contracts with Pennsylvania utilities to procure 100% renewable energy for its operations in two Pennsylvania cities. (Progressive Railroading)
NUCLEAR: A generating unit at Pennsylvania’s Beaver Valley Nuclear Power Station was turned off this weekend for maintenance and refueling. (news release)
COMMENTARY:
• For New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy, the state’s burgeoning offshore wind industry isn’t just an economic boon — it’s his political legacy, an editorial board writes. (NJ.com, subscription)
• New Hampshire’s Consumer Advocate details in his regular column how state utility ratepayers can fight large expected bill increases. (InDepth NH)