BUILDINGS: Massachusetts’ governor announces $50 million to kick off a new green bank within the state housing agency that will help fund home decarbonization retrofits. (WCVB)
ALSO: Maryland could decarbonize space heating in 73% of homes by 2030 if heat pumps replaced sales of air conditioning units, a report from a coalition of clean energy companies suggests. (Maryland Matters)
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POLITICS: Maryland’s governor and most of the state’s congressional delegation meet to emphasize their planned cooperation to hit offshore wind targets and dust off plans for a new transit line in Baltimore. (Maryland Matters)
OFFSHORE WIND:
• A New Jersey offshore wind component manufacturing facility may be over a year delayed because the state hasn’t approved federal tax credits for the wind farm developers. (NJ.com)
• A top Massachusetts energy policy maker says the offshore wind farm developers looking to renegotiate their power purchase agreements would give up millions of dollars if they do so. (CommonWealth Magazine)
CLEAN ENERGY: Officials in Burlington, Vermont, say they’re on track to meet their net-zero goals within many sectors, but commercial natural gas heating is trending in the wrong direction. (WCAX)
GRID: In Maine, wintertime power outages have left demand for whole-house generators far outpacing supply, leaving many on wait lists until the fall for one. (Bangor Daily News)
OIL & GAS: A small Pennsylvania town succeeds in requiring an energy company to plug an abandoned well rather than fill it with fracking wastewater, showing the fossil fuel industry doesn’t have to be the inevitable victor in regulatory cases. (Inside Climate News)
SOLAR:
• An amended bill before Rhode Island legislators would slowly end a solar incentive program that critics say is to blame for widespread deforestation. (Providence Journal)
• Bennington, Vermont, officials reject plans for two 2 MW solar projects, even after the developer offered the city $450,000 to gain its support. (Bennington Banner)
• Meadville, Pennsylvania, considers installing solar panels on a municipal building to completely cover its energy needs. (Meadville Tribune)
• Falmouth, Maine, finishes construction on a solar array sited on a capped landfill that will supply up to 75% of municipal energy demand. (Northern Forecaster)
• Rhode Island grants $225,000 to a commercial solar developer to help build out 1.6 MW of solar projects. (news release)
TRANSIT: Pittsburgh’s transit agency says it now has enough funds to undertake a $291 million bus rapid transit expansion project, which should begin in the fall. (Trib Live)
ELECTRIC VEHICLES: A Pennsylvania legislative committee advances a bill to impose an annual fee on electric vehicle drivers in lieu of a gas tax to pay for road work. (Fox 43)
AFFORDABILITY: Federal data shows energy costs fell by 1.8% in May in the Northeast, an indication overall inflation is slowing down. (USA Today)
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