SOLAR: A pair of Republican-sponsored bills in New Hampshire would slash the state’s net metering rates for utility customers who generate their own power, ahead of the release of a years-long study designed to determine a fair rate. (Energy News Network)
ALSO:
• New York utility regulators authorize a blueprint for reaching a minimum of 10 GW of distributed solar projects in the state by 2030. (PV Magazine)
• Vermont renewable energy leaders discuss how a pending federal investigation is directly and indirectly making it harder for them to order solar panels and complete projects. (VT Digger)
GRID:
• Several New England senators decry “artificially high [power] prices” that the regional grid operator’s minimum offer price rule creates and the suppressive effect they say it has on renewable energy development. (PV Magazine)
• A power surge in a Washington, D.C., neighborhood destroyed electrical, electronic and HVAC equipment in around 25 homes. (Axios DC)
ELECTRIC VEHICLES:
• A suburban Philadelphia county will purchase 69 new electric vehicles and 22 new charging stations through a large state grant. (CBS Philly)
• Pennsylvania is only 6% of the way toward its 2025 electric vehicle adoption goal but showed progress in other climate metrics, including reducing state agencies’ energy consumption by over 12%. (WHYY)
TRANSIT: Amtrak wants to make multi-billion-dollar repairs of and investments into Washington, D.C.’s Union Station and is using eminent domain to attempt to end other entities’ leases. (Washington Post)
GAS:
• New York’s climate council decides to refer to “natural gas” as “fossil gas” going forward, a semantic move some say will properly define the energy resource. (Times Union)
• A Philadelphia utility wants the state utility regulator to let it increase its gas distribution rate by 13% for suburban customers to raise funds to replace old cast iron pipelines. (WHYY)
CLIMATE:
• New Jersey environmental groups issue a report finding the state will miss its climate goals if officials continue with several approved fossil fuel-fired projects and don’t increase regulations. (NJ.com)
• A combination of major issues, including climate change and ‘forever chemical’ contamination, are making it harder than ever to be a successful farmer in Maine. (Bangor Daily News)
• Some observers say that between recent climate analyses and Russia’s war squeezing gasoline prices, Pennsylvania has an opportunity to increase efficiency projects and renewable energy development. (StateImpact Pennsylvania)
• Supporters of the conservation of a northern New Hampshire watershed say the project will mitigate climate change through carbon sequestration. (New Hampshire Public Radio)
AFFORDABILITY:
• New York’s latest budget includes $250 million to cover overdue residential electric and gas bills, although those unpaid bills are expected to amount to $2 billion in the next month. (Newsday)
• Maryland’s 30-day gas tax moratorium ended over the weekend, which the state had said would likely cause a $94 million revenue decline. (NBC Washington)
NUCLEAR: New York’s climate council should consider nuclear power projects as it drafts a scoping plan for climate action, clean power advocates argue. (Times Union)
HYDROGEN: With Connecticut among northeastern states interested in a hydrogen hub, stakeholders question what that looks like and how “green hydrogen” will be defined. (CT Mirror)
OFFSHORE WIND: Maine transportation officials will work with a new citizen advisory group to select a site for an offshore wind port. (News Center Maine)
FINANCE: A New England nonprofit teams up with a solar developer to offer loans to low-income Massachusetts and Rhode Island families who want solar panels on their homes. (news release)
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