BUILDINGS: Vermont’s climate mandates are pushing Vermont Gas Systems to adapt and diversify its business, ramping up energy efficiency, renewable natural gas, and now heat pump offerings.

ALSO: A Maine nonprofit kicks off a new pilot program to offer free “energy coaches” to homeowners who need independent advice about efficiency and weatherization upgrades. (Maine Monitor)

CLIMATE:
• Joining the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative could help Pennsylvania cut its emission by 80% of 2020 levels by 2030, according to a new University of Pennsylvania study. (Inside Climate News)
• Boston’s climate tech scene accounts for a significant amount of the city’s overall tech sector, with more capital flowing to companies despite overall economic activity slowing. (Boston Globe)
• A new federal report shows climate change is set to worsen childhood asthma and diminish the general health of Connecticut kids. (Connecticut Public Radio)
• With noise and climate concerns at top of mind, at least three Fairfield County, Connecticut, municipalities are working on gas-powered leaf blower restrictions. (New Haven Register)

GRID: Groups that sued to block Central Maine Power’s hotly contested transmission line will not appeal a jury’s decision to let construction resume. (WABI)

SOLAR: South Burlington, Vermont, considers mandating most new construction projects have at least 70% of their rooftop able to support solar infrastructure. (WCAX)

ELECTRIC VEHICLES:
• Delaware lawmakers advance a bill out of committee that would make state agencies transition to zero-emission vehicles by 2040. (DPM)
• Some Connecticut towns and colleges consider ending free electric vehicle charging now that older stations need upgrades and EV registrations are rising. (Connecticut Public Radio)

OFFSHORE WIND:
• A Fairleigh Dickinson University poll finds a series of East Coast whale deaths is causing support for offshore wind among New Jersey residents to shrink, even though there’s no evidence pointing to a connection between the events. (WorkBoat)
• Vineyard Wind will test an underwater noise and vibration insulation technique to reduce the impact to marine life. (electrek)

CRYPTOMINING: New York Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand’s staff fends off criticism that she has done more to support energy-intensive cryptomining than to regulate it. (Auburn Citizen)

EQUITY: New York officials release preliminary findings of a Nassau County air quality study that will be used to make an air pollution map to highlight overburdened communities. (Newsday)

COMMENTARY: A Sierra Club attorney says a recent PJM Interconnection report stands in “dire need of correction” because it ignores “glaring performance problems of fossil fuel power plants in extreme weather.” (Utility Dive)

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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.