CLEAN ENERGY: Just 2.43% of Massachusetts municipal utilities’ power comes from clean energy, a report finds, though many are still technically on track to comply with a state climate law due to nuclear energy usage. (Boston Globe)
ALSO:
• A Maine law takes effect that will require developers to pay prevailing wages to workers building large clean energy projects, despite opposition from some solar advocates who said it would slow climate progress. (Maine Public)
• A $1 billion semiconductor facility opens in a central New York town, with plans to build components for electric vehicle manufacturer Lucid. (Observer-Dispatch)
SOLAR:
• New York’s Senate passes a bill that would help municipalities redevelop parking areas in municipal parks into solar arrays. (River Journal Online)
• A solar developer and a contractor announce they’ll build a 7.5 MW solar farm on the site of a former biomass plant in far northern Maine. (PV Magazine)
• Developers complete a 6.9 MW solar installation in New York’s Catskills region. (PV Magazine)
• A New York solar developer wins approval to start operating a solar array on a Massachusetts landfill. (news release)
ELECTRIC VEHICLES:
• A three-year study in New York shows Con Edison successfully redirected electric school buses’ stored power back to the grid when it was needed. (School Transportation News)
• South Burlington, Vermont, approves a proposed electric aircraft factory at the Burlington Airport for manufacturer Beta Technologies. (Burlington Free Press)
• Some Connecticut lawmakers argue a bill allowing direct vehicle sales favored by electric vehicle makers will undermine consumer protection laws and threaten dealerships. (New Haven Register)
OFFSHORE WIND:
• University of New Hampshire researchers partner with Vineyard Wind to gather data on how offshore turbines’ underwater sounds may affect marine life. (New Hampshire Public Radio)
• New Hampshire announces a new offshore wind director as the state looks to benefit from development in the Gulf of Maine. (InDepthNH)
• Groups opposing Massachusetts offshore wind release a report questioning developers’ donations to environmental groups in the state. (State House News Service)
CARBON CAPTURE: A forthcoming Pennsylvania bill would address ownership and liability of pores in Pittsburgh-area shale, which could store captured carbon emissions. (Pittsburgh Post-Gazette)
UTILITIES: In court, Rhode Island’s attorney general argues state utility regulators failed to fully consider ratepayer and climate impacts when approving PPL Corporation’s purchase of Narragansett Electric. (Providence Journal)
CLIMATE:
• New York lawmakers will gather feedback from Buffalo residents today on the state’s climate action plan today, including on how a shift from natural gas heating will affect the area. (Buffalo News)
• Connecticut lawmakers continue to debate contentious energy and environmental measures as their legislative session comes to a close. (CT Mirror)
OIL & GAS: New Jersey sues two companies it says discharged fuel oil and industrial chemicals that destroyed the state’s groundwater. (Grist)
OVERSIGHT: Massachusetts’ attorney general leads 11 other leaders in calling on the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission to consider environmental justice impacts before approving natural gas projects. (news release)
COMMENTARY:
• The head of the Massachusetts Port Authority outlines the organization’s net-zero by 2031 goals. (CommonWealth Magazine)
• A group of western New York advocates argue the state should prioritize building solar arrays on rooftops, brownfields, and poor-quality farmland to save prime farmland. (Lockport Union-Sun and Journal)
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