CLIMATE: Massachusetts climate groups warn a clean heat standard state officials are developing could slow decarbonization if it allows too much compliance through hydrogen and renewable natural gas. (Energy News Network)

ALSO:
• Climate change and extreme rainfall increase the risk for Pittsburgh residents living along in one of the most landslide-prone areas of Pennsylvania. (PublicSource)
• New power plant emissions regulations established by New Jersey officials to avail environmentally overburdened communities aren’t strict enough, advocates say. (New Jersey Monitor)
• Five Massachusetts climate leaders analyze last year’s climate progress in the state. (Boston Globe)
• A group of academics and activists send a suggested framework to Massachusetts’ governor-elect to meet the state’s climate resiliency and clean energy goals. (MassLive.com)

GAS:
• Despite earlier reporting indicating a gas explosion destroyed several Philadelphia homes on New Year’s Day, the local gas utility says no leaks were identified in their nearby infrastructure; some residents are skeptical of that conclusion. (Philadelphia Inquirer)
• A controversial New York gas-fired power plant’s air quality permit is up for review, reviving community concerns in that state and nearby Connecticut. (New Haven Register)

AFFORDABILITY:
• Maine’s governor signs an emergency heating relief bill that will send $450 checks to most state taxpayers and provide tens of millions of dollars in additional aid for low-to-middle-income homes. (Portland Press Herald)
• High home heating costs in New Hampshire lead some to look toward an abundant local fuel source — wood — as a relatively cheaper option. (New Hampshire Bulletin)

ELECTRIC VEHICLES:
• A $10.1 million federal grant will help New York City more than double its existing fleet of municipal electric vehicles. (Reuters)
• New Jersey officials propose further developing electric truck charging infrastructure to speed up transportation electrification and support the many heavy-duty and long-haul trucks and buses that use its roadways. (NJ Spotlight)

SOLAR: Developers behind a 180 MW solar array in western New York receive their final state siting permit but still need to file final plans with the state. (Livingston County News)

BIOMASS: An up-to-18 MW biomass plant sitting idle in downeast Maine may come back online within the next three months following its sale by its bankrupt owner. (Quoddy Tides)

GRID:
• Observers say New York will be hard-pressed to meet its new battery storage goals, given high demand for the materials needed and other possible hurdles. (SI Live.com)
• A small Vermont electric cooperative’s hard-fought effort to get electricity flowing during a late December storm was one of its most expensive storm restorations to date. (VT Digger)
• Baltimore Gas & Electric says that infrastructure upgrades have helped reduce outages by 45% in the past decade. (news release)

TRANSIT:
• A new Massachusetts law intends to make roads safer for non-vehicle users — like bicyclists — through measures like mandated crash reports. (WBUR)
• New York’s governor should expand New York City’s zero-traffic-deaths program across the state to help get more commuters out of cars, safe streets activists argue. (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.