OIL & GAS: Boston’s mayor wants the city to join a state pilot program that will let 10 municipalities ban fossil fuel infrastructure in most new construction, but the city reportedly missed its opportunity to join the project when initially approached. (Commonwealth Magazine)

ALSO:
• A new study finds that Pennsylvania children living near fracking sites at birth were at least twice more likely to be diagnosed with early childhood leukemia than those who weren’t near those operations. (The Hill)
• ExxonMobil will pay $9.5 million to settle a lawsuit brought by New Jersey’s attorney general over claims it dumped petroleum barrels in a creek near the border with Philadelphia. (Cherry Hill Courier-Post)
• The new Massachusetts climate law will allow some types of biogas to be eligible for the state’s peak demand incentive program. (Utility Dive)

ELECTRIC VEHICLES:
• Connecticut fire officials say their firefighters have had limited or no training on handling electric battery fires, despite increased electric vehicle adoption. (CT Post)
• Rhode Island’s public transit agency receives the first of 14 new battery-powered electric buses. (Providence Business First)
• A nonprofit’s new study finds many Mainers’ concerns about the cost of charging an electric vehicle dropped once they purchased and drove the vehicle. (Bangor Daily News)
• New federal funding will help Philadelphia’s transit system transition to zero-emission buses and add EV charging stations, among other city projects. (Billy Penn)
• A new Bar Harbor, Maine, company is renting out small, low-speed electric vehicles to get around the town and neighboring Acadia National Park. (news release)

BUILDINGS: With 16 months left before New York City starts issuing massive carbon emissions-capping fines, landlords rush to make their buildings more energy efficient. (New York Times)

GRID: National Grid says the Northeast has sufficient resources to create enough renewable methane gas and wind-derived hydrogen to meet its New York and Massachusetts customers’ demand through 2025. (Utility Dive) 

PIPELINES: New Jersey officials tell federal energy regulators the state doesn’t need more gas infrastructure, causing some observers to wonder how they will view testimony around demand for a proposed new pipeline expansion project. (E&E News)

EFFICIENCY: A Boston-area start-up is working to create air conditioners that need substantially lower energy to operate than most models. (Boston Globe)

CLIMATE:
• Major rivers in the Northeast are dropping to significantly low levels amid an intense drought and little predicted precipitation. (The Washington Post)
• New York City council members push city commissioners to prepare fora future devastating hurricane, noting that a changing climate will likely see more frequent extreme storms. (NBC New York)
• A record number of mosquitoes carrying West Nile virus have been detected in New York City; some experts connect more mosquitoes to increasing temperatures. (Gothamist)

AFFORDABILITY:
• Philadelphia Gas Works proposes capping its weather normalization adjustment to no more than 25% of a customer’s monthly delivery charge to prevent exorbitant future fees. (Philadelphia Inquirer)
• Some utility ratepayer advocates and experts say Philadelphia should enact a ban on summertime utility shut-offs. (WHYY)

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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.