PIPELINES: A criminal case involving alleged intimidation of pipeline protesters by private security along the Mariner East project in Pennsylvania is likely to end with no convictions. (Philadelphia Inquirer)
WASTE-TO-ENERGY: An activist opposed to a trash-burning plant in Baltimore with a recently extended contract wants to “starve the beast” by depriving material with greater recycling and composting. (Inside Climate News)
OFFSHORE WIND:
• Twenty-five members of the New York and New Jersey congressional delegations urge the federal office overseeing offshore wind development to “jump-start” the industry with approval of lease areas off their states’ coasts. (East Hampton Star)
• Developers of the Atlantic Shores offshore wind farm in New Jersey sign an agreement with six unions to use organized labor for the project. (Offshore Engineer)
FRACKING: Pennsylvania will now allow public comment on 49 fracking wastewater wells after permits were issued without input. (StateImpact Pennsylvania)
EMISSIONS: A bill proposed in Maryland would impose fees on carbon emissions from fossil fuels and invest the proceeds in education, green infrastructure and protections for low-income residents. (Maryland Matters)
SOLAR: A Rhode Island town crafts a zoning law intended to keep large-scale solar development out. (Westerly Sun)
GRID: The grid operator in the Mid-Atlantic region adopted tough rules after the 2014 Polar Vortex to ensure reliability during cold snaps, unlike Texas, its proponents say. (NJ Spotlight)
REGULATION: Maine regulators open an investigation of the future design of the state’s distribution system in the wake of the uproar over a utility plan to drastically increase the interconnection of solar projects. (Portland Press Herald)
UTILITIES:
• Community choice advocates and retail energy suppliers in filings with New York regulators say Long Island Power Authority rules stifle competition in the electricity market. (Newsday)
• A new report says unpaid utility bills doubled in Massachusetts from late 2019 to late 2020, with small businesses leading the way in falling 90 days behind. (Eagle-Tribune)
TRANSMISSION: Canadian politicians debate a transmission link in the Maritime Provinces with one alternative linking them to Maine and increasing opportunities for imported hydropower. (Bangor Daily News)
COMMENTARY: An environmental coalition offers a Sustainable Green Jobs Recovery Plan that it says will lead to economic recovery and a cleaner and more just New Jersey. (ROI-NJ)