TRANSMISSION: Lawyers debate the validity of signatures for a proposed ballot referendum on the Clean Energy Connect transmission line, in Maine’s first online Supreme Court hearing. (Associated Press)

TRANSPORTATION: Advocates urge New Jersey to drop a $24 billion road expansion plan, saying that encouraging more driving does not align with the state’s climate ambitions. (NJ Spotlight)

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PIPELINES: In a federal court case over approval of a Pennsylvania pipeline, advocates say FERC’s use of “tolling orders” to delay rehearings has meant projects have been completed before litigation can proceed. (Utility Dive) 

SOLAR:
• New Jersey regulators give solar developers more time to secure renewable energy certificates amid the coronavirus shutdown. (NJ Spotlight)
• Officials in Lewiston, Maine, approve three solar projects totaling more than 11 MW of capacity. (Sun Journal)
• Massachusetts is suing a Pennsylvania-based solar developer, alleging water and wetlands violations. (WWLP)

GRID: The New York Power Authority has entered an agreement to develop a zinc-air battery storage project. (news release)

WIND:
• Developers of a proposed offshore wind farm present plans to officials in Martha’s Vineyard. (MV Times)
• Growing interest in microgrids could be reviving the market for distributed wind energy, nearly half of which is developed by a Rhode Island company. (Greentech Media)

CLIMATE:
• Delaware’s Department of Natural Resources appeals a decision by state regulators to freeze the state’s renewable energy standard. (Coastal Point)
• Two Pennsylvania colleges say they’ve reached their goal of carbon neutrality this month. (StateImpact Pennsylvania)

WASTE-TO-ENERGY:
• Advocates urge New Jersey regulators to investigate a waste-to-energy plant in Newark that has become notorious for emitting purple smoke, which could indicate combustion of iodine. (Tap Into Newark)
• Researchers find soil and water contamination downwind from an incinerator in upstate New York that has been burning toxic firefighting foam. (Albany Times Union)

UTILITIES: Amid a moratorium on shutoffs, Pennsylvania utilities say they’re unclear on how many of the customers might be struggling financially. (Pittsburgh Post-Gazette)

COMMENTARY:
• “The solution to one crisis could be the solution to another”: A New York lawmaker urges investments in clean energy to revive the state’s economy. (New York Daily News)
• A climate advocate says Vermont solar customers should be allowed to donate net metering credits to help others pay their utility bills. (VT Digger)
• A progressive group says a state-owned energy system would make Rhode Island more economically resilient. (GoLocalProvidence)

Ken is the director of the Energy News Network at Fresh Energy and is a founding editor of both Midwest Energy News and Southeast Energy News. Prior to joining Fresh Energy, he was the managing editor for online news at Minnesota Public Radio. He started his journalism career in 2002 as a copy editor for the Duluth News Tribune before spending five years at the Spokesman-Review in Spokane, Washington, where he worked as a copy editor, online producer, features editor and night city editor. A Nebraska native, Ken has a bachelor's degree from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and a master's degree from the University of Oregon. He is a member of the Society of Professional Journalists and Investigative Reporters and Editors.