COAL: The owner of the Pittsburgh area’s last coal-fired power plant postpones its retirement until the spring but doesn’t explain the reason for the delay. (TribLive)

ALSO: Some New Hampshire activists take to the river and stage a kayak protest in front of the last coal-fired power plant in New England. (Concord Monitor)

TRANSPORTATION: Massachusetts can only act on the Transportation & Climate Initiative if at least three states clear legal hurdles to join the pact, leaving the state in limbo. (Boston.com)

EFFICIENCY:
• A new report from a nonprofit think tank recommends that Appalachian states like Pennsylvania focus on energy efficiency over fracked gas for better economic and community outcomes. (Energy News Network)
• Massachusetts nonprofits, cities and health professionals work to provide air conditioners to vulnerable communities amid a growing number of high-heat days per summer. (WBUR)
• Administrators at some New York City skyscrapers update their heating and cooling units to try to improve energy efficiency in a city where the vast majority of emissions come from buildings. (CBS New York)

SOLAR: A Maryland county in suburban Washington, D.C. intends to adopt a free federal digital tool to process solar panel applications in one day. (Maryland Matters)

WASTE-TO-ENERGY: A central Vermont dairy farm is now home to the state’s largest anaerobic digester, which will turn cow poop and food waste into renewable natural gas for use at a nearby college. (NBC 5)

ELECTRIC VEHICLES: A southern Maine town holds a launch party for a new electric vehicle charging station close to its touristic shops and restaurants. (news release)

UTILITIES:
• National Grid proposes a 16% winter rate increase for its Rhode Island customers. (Providence Business Journal)
• National Fuel Gas Distribution Corp. wants to give residential customers a one-time bill credit and a temporary delivery rate reduction. (Erie Times-News)

GEOTHERMAL: A central New York town receives a state grant for up to $100,000 to conduct a scoping study to determine whether it can install a geothermal heat pump to power several buildings. (Daily Star)

HYDROGEN:
• Avangrid’s CEO says the utility responded to a U.S. Department of Energy solicitation and proposed building a 20 MW electrolyzer and hydrogen storage complex in Connecticut and a hydrogen production and distribution facility in Rochester, New York. (Utility Dive)
• Hyzon Motors plans to manufacture a cheaper, more lightweight onboard hydrogen storage system for commercial vehicles in Rochester, New York, and a Dutch facility. (H2 View)

COMMENTARY: Two propane advocates argue Massachusetts school children shouldn’t have to breathe diesel exhaust on the school bus, and that a combination of propane-fueled and electric school buses would improve air quality while being economical. (Energy News Network)

Bridget Reed Morawski

Bridget is a freelance reporter and newsletter writer based in the Washington, D.C., area. She compiles the Northeast Energy News digest. Bridget primarily writes about energy, conservation and the environment. Originally from Philadelphia, she graduated from Emerson College in 2015 with a degree in journalism and a minor in environmental studies. When she isn’t working on a story, she’s normally on a northern Maine lake or traveling abroad to practice her Spanish language skills.