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)

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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.