BUILDINGS: New York City’s buildings agency finds building owners are on track to fulfill their obligations under the city’s emissions law faster than expected despite the real estate industry warning it couldn’t meet the standards. (Bloomberg Law)

ALSO: A new study finds relatively lower rents in Philadelphia make it harder to convert vacant office buildings into residential units than in other large East Coast cities, noting the efficiency and environmental benefits of such redevelopments. (Philadelphia Inquirer)

OFFSHORE WIND: Rhode Island’s energy siting board says the SouthCoast Wind project cannot proceed until it has a new, approved power purchase agreement. (Renewable Energy World)

TRANSIT:
• A New York City transit agency official says providing congestion toll exemptions for commuters from Brooklyn, Queens and New Jersey would require raising other drivers’ tolls by up to an additional $9. (NYDN)
• Low-income Long Island residents who don’t live close to a transit stop will be hit especially hard by New York City’s planned congestion toll pricing plan, project officials say. (Newsday)
• A dozen community groups tell New York City officials that the mayor’s plan to redevelop the Brooklyn-Queens Expressway is too car- and truck-centric. (Streetsblog NYC)

OIL & GAS:
• Massachusetts intends to fine Eversource $1.5 million over various failures by the utility to prevent a fatal 2021 gas explosion, including improper classification and response to gas leaks. (WBUR)
• Philadelphia’s gas utility works to demolish a massive, decades-old gasholder building along the city’s northeast stretch of I-95. (CBS Philadelphia)

ELECTRIC VEHICLES: The manufacturer of electric buses for two southern Maine transit agencies files for bankruptcy, throwing into question whether officials will receive buses they are expecting. (Portland Press Herald)

ENERGY TRANSITION:
• New Hampshire looks to hire new staff to enact climate initiatives and projects tied to federal infrastructure funding while state officials wait for funds to trickle down. (NHPR)
• Federal officials grant $1.13 million to the University of Maine to study how  indigenous, rural and low-income communities in the state can participate in the energy transition. (news release)

SOLAR: Construction wraps up on a 20 MW solar project in western Pennsylvania — one of the largest in the region — that will support the University of Pittsburgh. (news release)

BIOMASS: The closure of a Fort Drum, New York, biomass facility — instigated by the state’s decision to stop recognizing biomass as a renewable energy resource — has devastated local loggers. (WWNY)

GRID: In New York, developers finish rebuilding and hardening a power line between the Hudson Valley and Capital Region six months ahead of schedule. (Times Union)

FLOODS:
• Maine’s governor seeks a federal disaster declaration following harsh June flooding across the state’s western area that caused $9 million in damages. (Spectrum News 1)
• Philadelphia may use $50 million in federal Hurricane Ida relief funds toward flood-related home repairs that residents are still dealing with. (WHYY)

More from the Energy News Network: Midwest | Southeast | Northeast | West

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.