SOLAR: Recently enacted legislation bars Connecticut homeowner associations from blocking solar installations; the state was previously the only one in New England without such protections. (Energy News Network)

ALSO:
• In Pennsylvania, a developer’s plan for a nearly 12,000-panel solar farm is met with concern from town residents worried about environmental and property value impacts. (Times Tribune)
• Fifteen local Pennsylvania agencies work to negotiate a 15 to 20 MW solar power purchase agreement. (RTO Insider, subscription)
• A northern Maine school district’s participation in a community solar farm will help it offset annual power costs by around 20%. (news release)

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OFFSHORE WIND:
• New Jersey environmentalists and fishing groups come together to say there is “no evidence” that offshore wind testing activity is behind a number of dead, beached whales in the region. (Associated Press)
• New York energy officials set aside plans to put wind turbines on Lake Erie or Lake Ontario, finding that such development would be costlier than other renewable energy projects. (Buffalo News)

BUILDINGS: Two suburban Boston towns are the first communities in Massachusetts to adopt a new building code with strong energy efficiency and renewable energy requirements in an effort to minimize gas use. (Boston Globe)

CLIMATE: Routine groundwater monitoring ended a decade ago in New York City, but federal officials want to resume observations as rising sea levels and intense rainstorms raise the water table, increasing flood risks. (The City)

GEOTHERMAL: A Massachusetts college drills geothermal wells on campus to heat and cool buildings and meet its zero-carbon goals. (WWLP)

OIL & GAS:
• Massachusetts Republicans meet in Boston to discuss energy policy priorities, including pipeline capacity expansion to transport more natural gas to the region, positioning themselves against what they call an “environmental left movement” working to cut emissions. (GBH)
• The massive amount of oil burned for power generation this past Christmas Eve shows how far the Northeast is from achieving its clean energy targets, but observers say it’s “probably cheaper and more politically tenable” than more gas pipelines. (E&E News, subscription)

ELECTRIC VEHICLES:
• Pennsylvania will receive over $171 million in federal funds to help pay for around 150 charging stations over five years. (Bay Journal)
• New Jersey utility officials begin accepting applications for both public and private medium-to-heavy-duty electric vehicle charging infrastructure. (Daily Energy Insider)

AFFORDABILITY: Connecticut Republicans file several new bills to remove over a dozen consumer fees and taxes from utility bills and increase utility power procurement oversight, among other policy changes. (News Times)

UTILITIES: A Vermont utility creates a website for customers to apply for and receive rebates to purchase home heat pumps; electric vehicles and chargers; and electric lawn equipment. (NBC 5)

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Bridget is a freelance reporter and newsletter writer based in the Washington, D.C., area. She compiles the Northeast Energy News digest. Bridget primarily writes about energy, conservation and the environment. Originally from Philadelphia, she graduated from Emerson College in 2015 with a degree in journalism and a minor in environmental studies. When she isn’t working on a story, she’s normally on a northern Maine lake or traveling abroad to practice her Spanish language skills.