EMISSIONS: New York City managers pledge to achieve net-zero emissions across the city’s investment portfolios by 2040 and double climate-related investments by 2025. (Bloomberg Green)
HYDROGEN: Construction begins on a long-awaited $290 million green hydrogen fuel production plant and 450 MW electric substation in western New York. (Buffalo News)
WIND:
• As Northeast states jockey to establish regional offshore wind hubs, Massachusetts officials work “with a new sense of urgency” to secure economic gains and jobs for declining coastal areas. (Cape Cod Times)
• While most conservation groups support a balanced approach to wind development, one birding group is taking a harder line approach in challenging New York’s energy siting laws. (Grist)
SOLAR:
• New Jersey regulators look to hasten the solar interconnection process to meet the state’s clean electricity goal, a plan that would likely require grid upgrades. (NJ Spotlight)
• New York says power purchase agreements have been negotiated to advance plans for solar arrays on 47 public schools and several water treatment facilities in New York City. (news release)
• A developer looks to build a 7 MW solar array on an abandoned landfill near Buffalo, New York. (PV Magazine)
HYDROELECTRIC: A Vermont company seeks damages from engineering firms it alleges damaged their hydroelectric turbine while working on local water lines. (Bennington Banner)
GEOTHERMAL: Pennsylvania should develop geothermal energy projects near abandoned mines, according to a state lawmaker with plans to introduce a related resolution. (Pennsylvania Business Report)
OIL: State officials and the Coast Guard disagree on the source of a small oil spill near New York City’s Coney Island as community members worry about cumulative environmental impacts. (Brownstoner)
GRID:
• Advocates on both sides of an upcoming ballot initiative to determine the fate of a Central Maine Power transmission project take the stage to debate their viewpoints. (News Center Maine)
• A Vermont news site profiles the local companies that comprise the state’s “surging” battery storage innovation industry. (Seven Days)
EFFICIENCY:
• A Vermont weatherization program will receive nearly $8 million in American Rescue Plan Act funds, enabling workers to weatherize another 500 homes. (news release)
• A western Pennsylvania school district is set to save millions of dollars following a series of energy efficiency upgrades. (news release)
UTILITIES: A Massachusetts state lawmaker wants to close a legal loophole allowing Eversource to withhold millions of dollars worth of tax payments to dozens of municipalities. (WAMC Northeast Public Radio)
TRANSPORTATION: A Connecticut transit company buys the state’s first full-size electric school bus, but company officials want to eventually convert the entire fleet. (NBC Connecticut)
COMMENTARY: A Rhode Island regulator says “there’s a lot of room for error” in developing policies to encourage electrification. (Utility Dive)