FRACKING: A Pennsylvania county that rode a wave of prosperity from fees paid by the fracking industry over the past decade is nearly broke after failing to keep money in reserve. (PA Spotlight)

ALSO: Groups representing Pennsylvania families who have lost members to a rare cancer want a state study of the health effects of oil and gas extraction expanded to include fracking waste. (StateImpact Pennsylvania)

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SOLAR:
• Massachusetts legislators file bills to require solar panels on new residential and commercial buildings. (ecoRI)
• Residents of a Maine town will vote this week on a moratorium on solar development that would stop a proposed 55-acre site. (CentralMaine.com)

EFFICIENCY: A Massachusetts poll suggests broad support for home energy upgrades although weaning the state off oil heating could be a challenge. (CommonWealth Magazine)

TRANSPORTATION: Advocates say phasing out gas-powered cars by 2035 is an attainable goal as electric vehicles gain wider acceptance with proper policies in place. (ecoRI)

POWER PLANTS: The owner of a Pennsylvania coal-fired power plant slated for closure agrees to preserve an adjacent park and lake that were created to supply water for the plant’s cooling towers. (StateImpact Pennsylvania)

ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE:
• Pittsburgh environmental justice advocates hope a new federal emphasis will lead to more effective action at the local and state level. (Pittsburgh Post-Gazette)
• Proposed legislation in Maryland would reform a state environmental justice commission to require it to be active and representative of the communities it is intended to serve. (E&E News, subscription required) 

WIND: A local official in New York questions the state’s move to fast-track clean energy projects and cites an inactive wind farm as an example of improper due diligence during its permitting phase. (Post-Journal)

POLLUTION: A federal appeals court rejects New Jersey’s challenge to a rule that regulates industry tracking of pollution from power plants. (E&E News, subscription required)

COMMENTARY:
• A Maryland state representative says “talk is cheap” in the case of a county that declares a climate emergency and then promptly amends a solar law to make projects unfeasible. (Washington Post)
• An editorial board says a ban on fracking in some Pennsylvania areas is a first step that should be followed by other actions that protect residents from the practice’s health effects. (Philadelphia Inquirer)

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Bill Opalka

Bill is a freelance journalist based outside Albany, New York. As a former New England correspondent for RTO Insider, he has written about energy for newspapers, magazines and other publications for more than 20 years. He has an extensive career in trade publications and newspapers, mostly focused on the utility sector, covering such issues as restructuring, renewable energy and consumer affairs. Bill covers Maine, Vermont and New Hampshire and also compiles the Northeast Energy News daily email digest.