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RENEWABLE ENERGY: Rhode Island Gov. Dan McKee will likely sign a bill state lawmakers passed yesterday to require 100% renewable electricity by 2033. (RTO Insider, subscription; Boston Globe)
SOLAR: • A developer wants to build a 75 MW solar farm on a Delaware field. (Delaware Business Times) • An affordable housing nonprofit on Massachusetts’ Nantucket Island spends $180,000 to install solar panels across multiple properties to help lower electricity costs for residents. (Cape Cod Times)
BUILDINGS: A think tank’s report finds that New York City’s roughly 1,600 municipal buildings have had a 9.6% emissions decline in the past five years; Staten Island saw the most significant reductions. (SI Live)
TRANSPORTATION: • Federal transportation officials order Boston’s transit agency to make immediate changes to address “emergency safety issues,” including scheduling problems exacerbated by a staff shortage. (NBC Boston) • Several Northeastern towns and cities are using free transit to lure in new and former riders, but some transportation advocates would rather see improved service conditions. (Politico) • In Ulster County, New York, a local legislator wants to see bus fares eliminated, but the county executive says doing so would threaten their eligibility for state funds. (Daily Freeman) • Massachusetts’ top Democratic politician describes work to create an agency to supervise the east-west rail system expansion as “premature.” (MassLive)
GRID: • Maine utility regulators approve a hotly contested $63 million transmission system upgrade first proposed in 2008 that will support a land-based salmon farm but also improve system overload issues. (Portland Press Herald) • Having missed a 2021 benchmark goal for energy storage installation, New Jersey legislators consider their options to meet a significantly larger 2030 target. (RTO Insider, subscription)
COAL: • Plans are in the works to overhaul former coal plants across southwest Pennsylvania to support new industrial developments, like medical marijuana farming and gas fired-power production. (Pittsburgh Post-Gazette) • Maryland energy officials award grants to support efforts to study the feasibility of repurposing coal-fired power plants with a certain type of small modular nuclear reactor. (news release) • Residents of Baltimore’s Curtis Bay community want officials to provide more information about the investigation into a December explosion that has been blamed on coal dust buildup. (WBAL TV)
AFFORDABILITY: • Some New Hampshire lawmakers lambaste state utility regulators for approving a 100% rate hike increase, but the commission chair explains why their hands were tied. (WMUR) • With nearly $2 billion in unpaid utility bills across New York, state officials plan to use around $250 million in pandemic relief funds to help low-income families pay their debt. (Syracuse.com)
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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.
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