UTILITIES: Massachusetts’ U.S. senators want the state utilities’ department to expedite municipalities’ requests to form their own community choice aggregation programs to get cheaper, greener energy. (Boston Globe)

ALSO:
• Exelon touts its ability to meet both company growth targets and state environmental regulations in a recent earnings call. (RTO Insider, subscription)
• On New York’s Long Island, a town forms a community choice aggregation program to buy gas at bulk pricing. (WSHU)
• A New York utility will host public meetings to explain the benefits of a new smart meter deployment to residents in Wayne and Cayuga counties. (WXXI)

OFFSHORE WIND: Unevidenced claims linking whale deaths to wind turbines leads some New Jersey House Republicans to file legislation against the industry, including a moratorium on new and existing wind farms. (NJ Advance Media)

SOLAR: A so-called citizens group founded by a conservative political operative has fueled misinformation about solar projects in rural areas, including in Maine, New Jersey, New York and Pennsylvania. (NPR)

OIL & GAS:
• Pennsylvania hands an ethylene cracker plant near Pittsburgh with its third emissions violation notice since it opened in November. (Trib Live)
• A Rhode Island liquefied natural gas storage tank facility that was supposed to be temporary will likely remain for at least another decade, according to new regulatory filings. (Newport Daily News)
• A Massachusetts gas compressor station plans to release gas into the air over two days for pipeline maintenance. (Patriot Ledger)

CLIMATE:
• Massachusetts Institute of Technology researchers develop a “truly efficient and inexpensive” carbon sink process for removing carbon dioxide from the ocean. (news release)
• Climate change may be behind the changing migration patterns leading to some rare sea birds showing up in Maine. (News Center Maine)

GRID:
• Although construction of a controversial East Boston substation is off and running, locals and environmentalists continue to push officials to relocate the project and revoke permits. (Boston Globe)
• A PJM subsidiary will add an hourly breakdown of energy generated to its renewable energy credits, a product the grid operator says isn’t available elsewhere in the country. (RTO Insider, subscription)

CLEAN ENERGY: Cornell University’s carbon-neutral campus plan is hindered in part by a lack of nearby land for clean energy projects. (Cornell Daily Sun)

FOOD SCRAPS: Plattsburgh, New York’s fire department plans to model a food scrap collection  process for other agencies, with the goal of reducing methane emissions. (NBC 5)

NUCLEAR: The owner of the out-of-service Indian Point nuclear facility says dumping 1 million gallons of radioactive water into the Hudson River is its “best” waste management option. (Gothamist)

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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.