RENEWABLE ENERGY: Rhode Island Gov. Dan McKee will likely sign a bill state lawmakers passed yesterday to require 100% renewable electricity by 2033. (RTO Insider, subscription; Boston Globe)
SOLAR:
• A developer wants to build a 75 MW solar farm on a Delaware field. (Delaware Business Times)
• An affordable housing nonprofit on Massachusetts’ Nantucket Island spends $180,000 to install solar panels across multiple properties to help lower electricity costs for residents. (Cape Cod Times)
BUILDINGS: A think tank’s report finds that New York City’s roughly 1,600 municipal buildings have had a 9.6% emissions decline in the past five years; Staten Island saw the most significant reductions. (SI Live)
TRANSPORTATION:
• Federal transportation officials order Boston’s transit agency to make immediate changes to address “emergency safety issues,” including scheduling problems exacerbated by a staff shortage. (NBC Boston)
• Several Northeastern towns and cities are using free transit to lure in new and former riders, but some transportation advocates would rather see improved service conditions. (Politico)
• In Ulster County, New York, a local legislator wants to see bus fares eliminated, but the county executive says doing so would threaten their eligibility for state funds. (Daily Freeman)
• Massachusetts’ top Democratic politician describes work to create an agency to supervise the east-west rail system expansion as “premature.” (MassLive)
GRID:
• Maine utility regulators approve a hotly contested $63 million transmission system upgrade first proposed in 2008 that will support a land-based salmon farm but also improve system overload issues. (Portland Press Herald)
• Having missed a 2021 benchmark goal for energy storage installation, New Jersey legislators consider their options to meet a significantly larger 2030 target. (RTO Insider, subscription)
COAL:
• Plans are in the works to overhaul former coal plants across southwest Pennsylvania to support new industrial developments, like medical marijuana farming and gas fired-power production. (Pittsburgh Post-Gazette)
• Maryland energy officials award grants to support efforts to study the feasibility of repurposing coal-fired power plants with a certain type of small modular nuclear reactor. (news release)
• Residents of Baltimore’s Curtis Bay community want officials to provide more information about the investigation into a December explosion that has been blamed on coal dust buildup. (WBAL TV)
AFFORDABILITY:
• Some New Hampshire lawmakers lambaste state utility regulators for approving a 100% rate hike increase, but the commission chair explains why their hands were tied. (WMUR)
• With nearly $2 billion in unpaid utility bills across New York, state officials plan to use around $250 million in pandemic relief funds to help low-income families pay their debt. (Syracuse.com)
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