SOLAR: A Massachusetts solar loan program credited with jump-starting the residential market ends its five-year run this month, and advocates worry underserved residents will be left behind by private lenders. (Energy News Network)

ALSO:
• Solar development shows signs of recovery from the pandemic as states like New York and New Jersey that experienced the sharpest drop-off also came back faster. (Utility Dive)
• A Maryland county will construct three community solar arrays on a former landfill. (WDVM) 

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FRACKING: A Pennsylvania town that passed a law banning the disposal of fracking waste is sued for the second time by a gas exploration and development company. (Common Dreams)

TRANSMISSION: A federal judge denies an injunction to halt construction of a Maine power line; Central Maine Power says work will begin next month. (Portland Press Herald)

EMISSIONS: Federal officials schedule a hearing on Northeastern states’ complaints on ozone blamed on Pennsylvania power plants that likely delays any final action until well into the Biden administration. (E&E News, subscription required)

CLIMATE: Exxon takes a new tack in a filing in its challenge to a Massachusetts climate suit saying the litigation punishes it for its views on a public policy matter. (Bloomberg)

CLEAN ENERGY: New Jersey regulators again delay a cost analysis of the state’s Energy Master Plan for several months, saying COVID-19 changes many of the components of the projections. (NJ Spotlight)

COAL: The new operators of the third-largest coal mine in Pennsylvania remain a mystery more than a week after they took over. (Pittsburgh Post-Gazette)

ELECTRIC VEHICLES: The first phase of the New Jersey electric vehicle incentive program is ending with the state expecting to disburse about $30 million in rebates. (Daily Energy Insider)

COMMENTARY:
• The Sierra Club says electrifying New Jersey homes will create healthier indoor environments by eliminating natural gas heat while also boosting local economies. (NJ Spotlight)
• A Pennsylvania Democratic legislator says the climate crisis requires the state to resist Republican efforts to derail the state’s membership in a regional agreement to reduce power plant emissions. (Tribune-Democrat)
• A local green jobs organization says a Philadelphia-area utility stalls development of a climate plan that also delays a transition to solar projects and employment. (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.