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)