Northeast Energy News is one of five regional services published by the Energy News Network. Today’s edition was compiled by Bridget Reed Morawski.
Share this newsletter | Manage subscriptions | Support our work
UTILITIES: A Rhode Island judge approves the state attorney general’s request to pause PPL Corp.’s purchase of Narragansett Electric, saying the decision didn’t evaluate environmental and ratepayer impacts. (Providence Business News)
ALSO: Time magazine ranks Vermont’s Green Mountain Power as one of the world’s most influential companies, citing its microgrid and battery storage work. (Burlington Free Press)
CLIMATE:
• A proposed amendment to Maine’s constitution would guarantee the right to clean water and air, but critics say it’s writtenly too broadly and would attract a cascade of unnecessary litigation. (Portland Press Herald)
• An analysis from Rhode Island environmental officials show emissions shot up from 2017 to 2018 and are expected to continue rising despite major climate legislation. (Providence Journal)
• Energy committees in New Hampshire communities are pushing for increased power and decarbonization but still have trouble accessing state resources. (New Hampshire Public Radio)
OFFSHORE WIND:
• A New Jersey offshore wind official estimates the industry will bring $150 billion over the next 15 years to the state’s economy. (Philadelphia Inquirer)
• A regional fisheries commission votes to make lobster catchers install trackers on their boats to collect certain animal density and interaction data, but some worry the data will be used against them in offshore wind turbine site planning. (Bangor Daily News)
GRID: Connecticut’s utility commission approves a program to quickly evaluate and deploy pilot projects and technology with the intent of helping them “fail fast” and transform into new, scalable innovations. (Utility Dive)
SOLAR:
• Over 800 solar projects in three Chesapeake Bay states are withering in the PJM Interconnection’s queue for over as much as a year, impeding decarbonization progress. (Bay Journal)
• In western New York, a developer says long-standing plans to build a 350 MW solar farm are still underway but still need certain early-stage environmental and archaeological studies to receive permits. (Lockport Union-Sun & Journal)
• A Maine town subscribes to a community solar project to power its larger municipal buildings to save an estimated 15% on its electricity bills. (Times Record)
• Voters in a Maine town overwhelmingly pass an ordinance that effectively kills a planned 180-acre solar array. (WMTW)
TRANSIT:
• Staten Island officials haven’t found a company to operate a bike share program in the borough after a year of searching. (SILive.com)
• A southern Maine transportation agency reveals a $7 million funding package that includes plans to temporarily slash bus fares in half, make service upgrades and extend certain routes’ hours. (Portland Press Herald)
GAS: New York environmental officials push off a decision to determine whether a gas-fired facility in the Finger Lakes region should continue operating to support cryptocurrency mining. (Gothamist)
EFFICIENCY: Almost $15 million in federal funds will go toward helping low-income and elderly Rhode Islanders afford weatherization or efficiency services. (Associated Press)
COMMENTARY: A New York editorial board argues the state utility commission should make it easier for National Grid gas customers to have their meters inspected to comply with a state safety law — and make the utility give back fines to customers. (Syracuse.com)
More from the Energy News Network: Midwest | Southeast | Northeast | West