17 states sue to stop offshore wind pause

This roundup of energy news headlines comes from our Northeast Energy News newsletter. Sign up to get it in your inbox each morning.

WIND

• Attorneys general from 17 states and Washington, D.C., file a lawsuit challenging Pres. Trump’s executive order that stopped permits, approvals, and loans for wind energy projects, and asking the courts to stop federal agencies from implementing it. (Associated Press)

• The U.S. Supreme Court dismisses two lawsuits by fishing industry groups aiming to stop work on the Vineyard Wind project off the coast of Massachusetts. (Renews)

• A delegation of state lawmakers and county and municipal officials from Maryland visit Washington, D.C., to ask U.S. legislators to help stop an offshore wind development they say would be tantamount to the ​“industrialization of our ocean.” (Delmarva Now)

• Ships in Erie, Pennsylvania, unload 250-foot-long wind turbine blades destined for onshore wind developments in upstate New York. (GoErie)

CLIMATE

• Maine lawmakers consider passing a ​“climate superfund” bill that would make oil companies pay for damages caused by climate change, but state environmental officials urge caution as similar laws in Vermont and New York are in the midst of legal battles with the federal government. (Maine Public)

COAL

• Federal regulators approve the terms of a deal that will keep two coal-fired power plants in Maryland in operation until 2029 — years after their initially planned closures — to help ensure reliable power supply to the area. (Daily Energy Insider)

TRANSMISSION

• Maryland landowners marshal legal representation as the developers of a controversial transmission line take them to court to demand access to their land for surveying purposes. (Baltimore Sun)

STORAGE

• Construction begins on a 3 MW storage facility for a Massachusetts municipal electric utility that plans to use the batteries to reduce transmission and capacity costs for its customers. (PV Magazine)

EFFICIENCY

• Vermont’s energy efficiency program prepares to end its rebate program for businesses that switch to LED light bulbs, saying the technology is now the industry standard and no longer needs the support of incentives. (NBC5)

NUCLEAR

• States, like Maryland, that are interested in developing more nuclear power need the federal government to back up its pro-nuclear rhetoric with policy action, advocates say. (Maryland Matters)

TRANSPORTATION

• Car crashes have gone down 13% since last year in the part of Manhattan subject to the congestion pricing rules opposed by the federal government, a new data analysis finds. (Gothamist)