Inside Pennsylvania’s failed effort to woo an oil giant

OIL & GAS: Recently released documents show a concerted effort a year ago by Pennsylvania officials to push Exxon to build a petrochemical plant south of Pittsburgh that was ultimately unsuccessful. (Pittsburgh Post-Gazette)

ALSO: Philadelphia environmentalists raise an alarm over a plan that could send large liquified natural gas carrying trains through the city on their way to a proposed export terminal in New Jersey. (Philadelphia Inquirer)

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NUCLEAR:
• The company decommissioning the Oyster Creek nuclear plant in New Jersey goes to federal court to stop a move by local officials to halt storage of nuclear waste at the facility. (Courier Post)
• A bill introduced by Vermont’s congressional delegation would provide a financial windfall to the town that stores the spent nuclear fuel from the shuttered Vermont Yankee nuclear power plant. (Brattleboro Reformer)

ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE: New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy signs a bill giving environmental justice communities a say in the construction of new polluting sources within them. (NJ Spotlight)

CLEAN ENERGY: New York issues proposed regulations to streamline siting approvals for large clean energy projects that are lauded by several environmental groups. (Utility Dive, Daily Freeman)

CLIMATE: A new report says rising seas by 2040 could create credit risks for several states that rely on their coastal areas for at least 70% of their economic activity, including Rhode Island, New York, New Jersey and Delaware. (Forbes)

PIPELINES: County and state officials criticize a federal regulator’s decision that splitting the Pennsylvania section of the PennEast pipeline from the project creates no environmental issues. (LehighValleyLive)

ACTIVISM:
• A ​“climate clock” urging governments to take action is unveiled in New York City to mark the beginning of Climate Week. (Common Dreams)
• A year after youth-led global protests for climate action, Philadelphia teens say little progress has been made and they worry that trend will continue into 2021. (Philadelphia Inquirer)

TRANSPORTATION: A state legislator from Brooklyn wants New York to expand its electric vehicle rebate program to include electric bikes. (Streetblog NYC)

SOLAR: A unique 2.25 MW solar array being built to power a gas compressor station is under construction in New Jersey. (NJ.com)

COMMENTARY:
• A former medical professor says the racial disparities in COVID-19 deaths due to pollution exposure should prompt us to more quickly electrify heavy-duty vehicles. (Baltimore Sun)
• The utility owner of New Jersey’s nuclear power plants says the state must continue to support them due to uncertain policy support from the federal government. (NJ Spotlight)
• Members of a climate action team in a Maine city say budget cuts likely to come from the effects of COVID-19 disruptions should spare efforts to implement climate change actions. (Portland Press Herald)
• An editorial board says residents opposed to solar and wind projects must learn to live with them as climate change shows New York cannot remain ​“mired in fossil fuels.” (Buffalo News)