BIOMASS: Massachusetts environmental officials introduce policies that would effectively limit new biomass development to just 10% of municipalities, saying the other 90% are too close to environmental justice communities. (Commonwealth Magazine)

ALSO: The proposed regulations leave just 35 communities open to biomass development, leaving some lawmakers wondering whether their communities were singled out or if state officials are indicating that biomass isn’t welcome. (Berkshire Eagle)

TRANSPORTATION: Transit officials in Maine’s greater Portland area can’t decide how to spend federal funds to win back riders, who largely abandoned public transportation when the pandemic began. (Portland Press Herald)

FOSSIL FUELS:
• Massachusetts municipalities see pushback from home builders, utilities and some residents amid attempts to ban new natural gas infrastructure and encourage electrification. (Wall Street Journal)
• Pennsylvania environmental officials who want the state to become a hub for carbon capture and storage development argue the U.S. should invest in the controversial technology to combat the climate crisis. (Chesapeake Bay Journal)

POLITICS: Maine passed more than 10 pieces of energy-related legislation in the second quarter, while other Northeastern states ratified a handful of energy proposals during that time and Pennsylvania passed zero. (S&P Global)

GRID:
• Developers of the New England Clean Energy Connect transmission line can resume tree-clearing work now that a two-month hiatus to protect an endangered bat has ended. (Associated Press)
• Connecticut regulators approve residential and commercial battery storage system incentives starting at about $250/kWh to reduce upfront purchase and installation cost barriers. (New Haven Register)

UTILITIES:
• Maine’s public advocate praises Central Maine Power for certain company culture improvements but says the state regulator should further investigate the utility to improve service. (Bangor Daily News)
• Connecticut officials reach a $400,000 settlement with a third-party electric supplier accused of illegal marketing tactics, like claiming to be working for the incumbent utility and refusing to provide information in Spanish. (CT Post)

SOLAR:
• Dozens of solar projects in Maine’s Penobscot County languish in utility interconnection queues, but the pace of new projects is expected to slow when state solar policies change later this year. (Bangor Daily News)
• Massachusetts climate activists rally against the destruction of thousands of acres of farm and forestland to make way for large-scale solar projects. (Berkshire Eagle)
• A church will now receive all its electricity from its new rooftop solar installation, developed by a southeast Pennsylvania community solar group that says its their largest solar rooftop project to date. (WHYY)
• A Vermont solar project will incorporate a microgrid operated by Green Mountain Power to bolster reliability. (WFFF)

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.