OIL & GAS: A new analysis says methane releases in Pennsylvania are seven times greater than state reports indicate as new regulations are being written. (StateImpact Pennsylvania)

ALSO:
• Plugging orphan wells during the coronavirus pandemic is seen as a way to employ idled oil and gas workers, particularly in Pennsylvania with 8,500 verified abandoned wells. (Pittsburgh Post-Gazette)
• A state grant will extend a natural gas distribution line to more than 300 customers in a northeast Pennsylvania city. (Citizens Voice)

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OFFSHORE WIND: A new report says a planned transmission system to serve multiple offshore wind farms in New England could save consumers $1 billion. (reNEWS)

GRID: Maryland’s top utility regulator says he would not pull the state out of PJM over renewable energy policy disputes without legislative approval. (E&E News, subscription required)

DIVESTMENT: Youth activists engage in the movement to have New York’s state pension funds divest their fossil fuel holdings and appear to be gaining traction. (InsideClimateNews)

EFFICIENCY: Increased interest in energy efficiency caused by stay-at-home orders during Covid-19 could be one of its lasting impacts in the Pittsburgh region. (Public Source)

SOLAR:
• Vermont regulators reject a 2 MW solar project that they previously approved after residents successfully appealed the nod to the state’s Supreme Court. (VT Digger)
• Tesla’s solar manufacturing plant in Buffalo, New York remains closed while company head Elon Musk defies stay-at-home orders by reopening a California facility. (Greentech Media)

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UTILITIES:
• A survey says more customers are reaching out to their utilities, especially in the Northeast, on how to save energy due to increased use during the coronavirus pandemic. (Daily Energy Insider)
• A utility that serves eastern and northern Maine sold to a Canadian company in March rebrands itself as Versant Power. (Portland Press Herald)

COMMENTARY: A law student says another reason to oppose an eastern Connecticut natural gas plant is recent state approval of toxic wastewater discharge into a municipal sewage treatment plant. (Hartford Courant)

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.