BUILDINGS: While Maine’s governor joined a gubernatorial pledge to quadruple the number of heat pumps across the country by 2030, the state hasn’t made much progress to reach its 2025 goal for low-income home installs. (Portland Press Herald, Bangor Daily News)

ALSO: In New York City, an eight-story condo building built to Passive House standards serves as a model for future sustainable development and a reminder for developers of the pressure to comply with local building emissions law. (New York Times)

CARBON SEQUESTRATION:
• Maine climate officials consider incorporating the carbon sequestration value of seaweed in its carbon budget, which already factors in the impact from the state’s forests. (Portland Press Herald)
• New York’s governor announces over $6 million in funds to protect just over 2,000 acres of farmland and its potential carbon sequestration value. (news release)

POLICY:
• If New Hampshire files its climate action plan with federal officials by March, it could be eligible for roughly $4.6 billion in new grants for energy efficiency, vehicle electrification and more. (New Hampshire Bulletin)
• A nonprofit’s new report finds Vermont has made the least progress among its Northeast neighbors toward reaching its emissions goals. (news release)

WORKFORCE:
• Philadelphia climate activists rejoice to learn that President Joe Biden created the American Climate Corps to provide jobs for 20,000 young people in clean energy, conservation and climate resilience. (WHYY, NPR)
• In Massachusetts, a community college uses a state grant to develop an HVAC training program as part of a push for clean energy workforce equity. (news release)

TRANSIT: Connecticut transit officials propose using buses to connect the state’s eastern communities and parts of Rhode Island in lieu of more costly rail expansion projects. (CT Examiner)

WILDFIRES: New Jersey’s forest fire agency receives $3 million from the state to hire more firefighters and upgrade fire trucks amid the state’s worst wildfire season in a decade. (New Jersey Monitor)

GEOTHERMAL: New York’s governor signs a law aiming to lower geothermal heating and cooling system installation costs by rerouting the regulatory process for such projects. (Spectrum)

ELECTRIC VEHICLES: Pennsylvania transit officials award $4 million for electric vehicle charging infrastructure across the state. (Indiana Gazette) 

SOLAR: Vermont regulators issue a $5,000 fine to a solar developer who cut down trees at the site of a 2 MW solar array before it received its permits. (Bennington Banner)

PIPELINES: Federal officials grant just over $200,000 to a New York emergency services agency for gas pipeline safety upgrades. (Times Union)

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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.