NUCLEAR: A federal Nuclear Regulatory Commission report suggests fewer and less stringent inspections are needed for the nation’s nuclear power plant fleet. (New York Times)
ALSO: There is a growing consensus among utilities and policymakers that nuclear power is key for a carbon-free future. (Utility Dive)
OIL & GAS:
• An LNG export terminal proposed for southern New Jersey would be supplied by up to 15 trucks per hour, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers says. (NJ Spotlight)
• A Philadelphia refinery damaged in an explosion last month is expected to shut down its remaining units on Monday as its supplies of crude oil run out. (Reuters)
POLICY: Environmentalists criticize New Jersey’s energy master plan in the first public hearing on it, saying it relies too much on natural gas for power generation. (NJ Spotlight)
SOLAR:
• Pennsylvania had far more solar installations in the first three months of this year than ever before but still lags behind its neighbors. (Philadelphia Inquirer)
• A city in western New York cut the ribbon on its third solar array in what officials say will supply municipal needs and could result in lower taxes. (WBFO)
STORAGE: A study contends that a four-hour duration for energy storage to qualify for the capacity market in PJM is achievable rather than the 10-hour minimum the grid operator had proposed. (PV Magazine)
WASTE-TO-ENERGY: A Connecticut trash-burning plant suffered a partial breakdown, forcing officials to ship part of its waste to landfills in New York and Pennsylvania. (Hartford Courant)
PIPELINES: A critic of the Mariner East pipeline in Pennsylvania represented himself in a day-long hearing before state regulators saying the pipeline is unsafe. (Pennsylvania Capital-Star)
UTILITIES:
• The president of Central Maine Power and its chief legislative critic have written dueling editorials over the company’s response to a state investigation into a billing system fiasco. (WMTW)
• A study commissioned by municipal utilities in Massachusetts says those companies provide more clean energy and at lower cost than their investor-owned counterparts. (Worcester Business Journal)
COMMENTARY:
• The League of Women Voters says biomass energy is dirty and inefficient, and should be removed from Massachusetts’ greenhouse gas reduction plans. (Daily Hampshire Gazette)
• A climate activist lauds New York’s recent greenhouse gas reduction law but the state needs to keep the Indian Point nuclear power plant operating to meet its goals. (Buffalo News)