UTILITIES:
• U.S. Energy Secretary Rick Perry is leaning toward not approving a utility’s petition to save its coal and nuclear power plants. (The Hill)
• PJM Interconnection is seeking guidance on how to address state subsidies for uneconomic coal and nuclear power plants. (Natural Gas Intelligence)
TECHNOLOGY: Burlington, Vermont’s municipal utility plans to use blockchain to manage supply and demand in real time. (Bloomberg Technology)
***SPONSORED LINK: Northeast Renewables Summit 2018 will bring together Northeast policymakers and regulators, utilities, the renewables community, off-takers and policy advocates to share the latest information and insights on developing the Northeast renewables markets.***
WASTE-TO-ENERGY: The final construction of a waste-to-energy facility in Maine will be delayed for months due to winter storms. (Waste 360)
CLEAN ENERGY: Several clean energy advocacy organizations have sent a joint letter to the New Jersey legislature urging them to pass a clean energy and energy efficiency bill. (Solar Industry)
NUCLEAR: Clean energy supporters are debating whether carbon-free nuclear is worth saving or if renewables such as solar and wind are ready to replace nuclear power. (Washington Examiner)
OIL AND GAS: A citizens group is asking a Pennsylvania court to limit fracking to only a handful of industrial zones inside a township. (StateImpact Pennsylvania)
NATURAL GAS: A New York state agency will review the environmental impact of a proposed natural gas-powered microgrid after public outcry against the project. (The Legislative Gazette)
SOLAR: Norwich, Vermont officials are considering whether to designate a piece of land a “preferred site” so the solar developer can bolster its application with Vermont regulators. (Valley News)
EFFICIENCY: Clifton Park, New York officials plan to replace all 610 of the city’s street lights with LEDs – reducing electric bills by 60 to 65 percent. (Albany Times Union)
WIND: Fishing officials want the state’s first offshore wind farm to be modest in scope and may even call for a delay in the selection of offshore wind partners. (South Coast Today)
COMMENTARY:
• Pressure is building on Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolfe to take action against the Mariner East 2 pipeline project and he should heed the calls, says an organizing co-director. (Philly.com)
• Maine lawmakers have another opportunity to override Gov. Paul LePage’s veto of a solar bill and allow residents and business to harness the full power of solar energy, says the mayor of Belfast, Maine. (Bangor Daily News)
• The Climate and Community Protection Act has been stalled long enough and New York lawmakers should finally pass the bipartisan legislation this year, say two guest columnists. (Albany Times Union)