EFFICIENCY: A new report says Massachusetts will need 35,000 additional workers to meet the state’s energy efficiency targets. (Energy News Network)

GRID: After what an Eversource spokesperson calls a “massive response effort,” power has been mostly restored in Massachusetts after nearly a half-million customers lost electricity service amid a storm last week. (Boston Herald)

TRANSMISSION:
• Even if Maine voters approve a measure this week to block the Clean Energy Connect transmission line, it’s still not clear whether it would be the end of the project. (Portland Press Herald)
• The character of Maine’s North Woods is a central issue in the debate over the Clean Energy Connect transmission line, with some noting the area is already crisscrossed with roads for logging. (Bangor Daily News)

NATURAL GAS:
• Nacero announces plans for a $6 billion plant in northeast Pennsylvania that will convert natural gas into gasoline, pledging to use methane from biodigesters as a source and capture CO2 emissions. (PennLive)
• An energy association says a plan to transition Connecticut fuel oil customers to natural gas has been a “complete fleecing” of ratepayers, as it assumed gas prices would stay low for decades. (Center Square)

ELECTRIFICATION: Pennsylvania’s state Senate last week approved a bill that would ban cities from prohibiting new natural gas hookups. (Associated Press)  

ELECTRIC VEHICLES:
• Efficiency Maine says applications for electric vehicle rebates have grown dramatically, with nearly $2 million distributed this year compared to only $267,000 in 2019, and dealers are having trouble finding cars for customers. (Sun Journal)
• Vermont Gov. Phil Scott was on hand last week to unveil four new electric school buses that will be shared by three school districts. (NBC 5)
• Maine humorist Tim Sample will be featured in radio spots to promote electric cars. (Sun Journal)

WIND:
• Federal review of the proposed Mayflower offshore wind project gets underway this week. (State House News Service)
• Vineyard Wind announces plans for a maintenance facility in New Bedford, Massachusetts, that will employ about 40 people. (Herald News)

SOLAR: A Maine town’s solar moratorium grapples with the question of what happens to panels at the end of their lifespan. (Bangor Daily News)

CLIMATE:
• Neighbors of a New York City park push back against the city’s $1.45 flood prevention program, saying it will consume valuable green space. (The Guardian)
• Maine therapists say they’re treating more patients for anxiety about climate change. (Bangor Daily News)

COMMENTARY: A columnist writes that Connecticut Gov. Ned Lamont’s praise of “easy, affordable” car parking is contrary to the state’s climate ambitions: “if you build for cars, you get more cars.” (CT Post)

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Ken Paulman

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.