CLIMATE: Former Energy Secretary Ernest Moniz presents findings of a study outlining the steps New England must take to decarbonize its economy. (S&P Global)
ALSO: Two companies with utilities or coal power fleets in Pennsylvania say they will become carbon-neutral by 2050. (Pittsburgh Post-Gazette)
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UTILITIES: “These systems continue to fail us”: Connecticut’s attorney general says he’ll investigate Eversource’s outage reporting system after windstorms over the weekend left thousands without electricity. (WSHU)
SOLAR:
• The developer of a proposed 120 MW solar array in Connecticut says it has a soil restoration plan that could meet siting officials’ objections to the project’s impact on farmland. (Journal Inquirer)
• A new citizens group in Rhode Island wants a town to revise a recently approved solar law to increase buffers and other changes to avoid conflicts occurring in other communities. (ecoRI)
• A Maine town moves ahead for a solar project on its capped landfill by signing an agreement with a Vermont developer. (Portland Press Herald)
• An office building owner and developer adds a 5.2 MW solar array to a New Jersey complex’s carport that will offset 75% of its energy needs. (Solar Power World)
• Two 3 MW solar arrays adjacent to a Maine airport are expected to break ground in the spring. (WAGM)
NATURAL GAS: Firefighters in Rhode Island train to handle possible emergencies that could occur at a proposed liquified natural gas facility. (Newport Daily News)
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ELECTRIC VEHICLES: Quebec announces it will ban the sale of new gasoline-powered cars by 2035. (Reuters)
COMMENTARY:
• A leading Maine environmental organization says the state’s draft Climate Action Plan shows the necessary steps to confront the crisis. (Natural Resources Council of Maine)
• An anthropologist suggests a change in the business model for wind energy would cause greater acceptance if the financial benefits were shared with an entire community instead of only landowners whose property is used. (Pittsburgh Post-Gazette)
• Solar advocates say a pending short session of the Pennsylvania legislature is a good time to move ahead with a community solar bill that would boost the economy of farming communities. (Pennlive)