EFFICIENCY: New Hampshire’s consumer advocate says regulators’ investigation into energy efficiency programs is “a direct affront” to a law passed earlier this year to codify the programs. (Energy News Network)

STORAGE: Boston-area startup Form Energy brings in $450 million in its latest fundraising round as it scales up production of its iron-air batteries. (Canary Media)

UTILITIES:
• Massachusetts utilities spent $439,000 on lobbying in the first half of this year, with National Grid fighting legislation to promote rooftop solar, clean energy financing, and repairing gas leaks while promoting wind and storage. (Lever)
• Maine’s governor says her office will intervene in Versant Power’s 32% rate hike request. (Lewiston Sun Journal)

SOLAR:
• Western New York has five 100-MW-plus solar arrays in the works, but some residents worry their massive scale will disrupt access to quality farmland. (Buffalo News)
• A Philadelphia-area church dedicates a new solar array as Inflation Reduction Act incentives make it easier for other religious institutions and nonprofits to follow suit. (Philadelphia Inquirer)
• Pennsylvania communities’ growing interest in solar could pave the way for the approval of community solar in the state, an expert says. (Williamsport Sun-Gazette)
• A property management company completes a 3.75 MW solar system covering 16 of its office buildings in New Jersey. (ROI-NJ)

ELECTRIC VEHICLES:
• NJ Transit’s first electric bus arrives in Camden, where it’s expected to go into service within a few weeks. (CBS News)
• A small Pennsylvania city considers installing nine electric vehicle chargers within its limits. (TribLive)
• Pennsylvania’s Cumberland County applies for a $75,000 state grant to offset the cost of buying eight electric vehicles and installing six charging stations for county use. (Indiana Gazette)

BUILDINGS:
• A small Massachusetts town asks to withdraw from a pilot program that lets towns restrict fossil fuel hookups in new buildings, saying it can’t meet the initiative’s affordable housing criteria. (CommonWealth Magazine)
• New Jersey launches a clean buildings task force to plan the state’s path to decarbonizing the building sector. (New Jersey Business)

OIL & GAS:
• Pennsylvania has only two months to submit plans to reduce volatile organic compounds at oil and gas sites or risk losing federal highway funding. (Allegheny Front)
• Gas-powered fuel cell company Bloom Energy has added 210 jobs to its Newark, Delaware, assembly plant over the past year and eyes further growth as it works through a backlog of orders. (Delaware Business Times, subscription)

WIND: As Maryland, Massachusetts and New Jersey aim to build up offshore wind arrays and industry hubs, they’ll need to focus on connecting all that power to the onshore grid. (States Newsroom)

BIOGAS: Tensions flare at a public hearing held by Delaware officials looking to boost a proposed biogas facility that would extract methane from poultry waste. (Delaware Public)

COMMENTARY: New York Gov. Kathy Hochul has reduced state agency staffing to reduce spending, jeopardizing these agencies’ abilities to execute a clean energy transition, an editorial board writes. (Times Union)

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Kathryn brings her extensive editorial background to the Energy News Network team, where she oversees the early-morning production of ENN’s five email digest newsletters as well as distribution of ENN’s original journalism with other media outlets. From documenting chronic illness’ effect on college students to following the inner workings of Congress, Kathryn has built a broad experience in her more than five years working at major publications including The Week Magazine. Kathryn holds a Bachelor of Science in magazine journalism and information management and technology from Syracuse University.