FOSSIL FUELS: A federal report shows the Northeast only has enough heating oil and gas reserves to get through two days. (State House News Service)
ALSO: A Pennsylvania home that exploded late last week, killing five people and displacing over two dozen, did not have gas service but did have a nearby gas main; neighbors repeatedly reported a gas odor. (Delco Times)
CLIMATE:
• As Vermont looks for ways to fight the climate crisis, its governor signs a law opening the state’s lower property tax rate for undeveloped land up to those conserving their property, not just harvesting trees. (VT Digger)
• Although air quality improved, the pandemic hardly moved the needle on New York City’s emissions, a new report finds. (The Architect’s Newspaper)
• New England medical professionals say they’re increasingly treating young patients for climate-related anxiety and mental health concerns. (New Hampshire Public Radio)
• Scientists are increasingly spotting Chesapeake Bay blue crabs in the warming waters of the Gulf of Maine. (Bangor Daily News)
• A draft solid waste management plan for New Hampshire includes climate mitigation proposals, such as installing solar panels on inactive landfills. (New Hampshire Public Radio)
TRANSIT:
• A New Jersey proposal to spend $15 million on electric school buses passes the state Assembly in the face of strong opposition from Republican lawmakers. (NJ Advance Media)
• Connecticut’s first universal electric car charging station is installed at a highway service plaza, with more slated for launch this summer. (CT Post)
GRID:
• The New England grid operator’s much-derided minimum offer price rule will stay in effect for two more years, federal officials decide. (WBUR)
• New York’s grid operator says it can meet peak summer demand this year but that its margins for next summer and beyond are “concerning.” (S&P Global)
FOOD EMISSIONS:
• A northern New York town works through several issues that have risen since starting a compost drop-off program, part of its climate mitigation strategy. (NNY360)
• Boston launches an at-home compost pick-up service to help minimize food waste sent to landfills and related methane emissions. (Boston.com)
SOLAR:
• Vermont’s utility regulator rejects permits for two 2 MW solar farms proposed in Bennington, pointing to aesthetic concerns and current land conservation measures in the town plan. (Bennington Banner)
• Vermont solar developers say business is booming but could be better if net metering rates were more attractive for low-to-middle-income families. (Rutland Herald)
COMMENTARY:
• A controversial peaker plant would add to pollution in the Ironbound, raising questions of whether green energy can meet the sewage commission’s needs instead, a columnist writes. (Star-Ledger)
• A local climate activist applauds a Maine town’s decision to approve a climate action plan, one of the few municipalities in the state to do so. (SeaCoastOnline)
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