$2M for Maine clean energy workforce development

WORKFORCE: A southern Maine workforce development agency receives a $2 million federal labor grant to subsidize clean energy workforce training and education for hundreds of underrepresented communities, from entry-level jobs to managerial roles. (Maine Public Radio)

WIND:

• Vineyard Wind forms a safety perimeter around one of its Vineyard Wind 1 turbines and alerts the Coast Guard after finding a damaged blade over the weekend; no further details about the damage are available. (Cape Cod Times)
• Two Massachusetts state agencies will host a public meeting in Eastham to discuss federal plans to lease portions of the Gulf of Maine for offshore wind energy generation. (Cape Cod Times)

HYDROGEN: A study out of the National Renewable Energy Laboratory finds that offshore wind farms with fixed-bottom turbines off the Northeast coast could provide cost-competitive hydrogen. (Recharge)

SOLAR:

• A western New York town decides to try one more appeal to stop the development of a large solar project already approved by the state. (CNHI News)
• The housing authority of Portsmouth, New Hampshire, plans to use a $140,000 state grant to help install solar at a senior living facility. (Portsmouth Herald)
• The owner of four lower-income apartment buildings in New York City forms a partnership with a solar project operator to allow residents to subscribe to a community solar array for discounted bills. (news release)
• A developer kicks off commercial operations at a 510 kW rooftop community solar project on New York City’s Staten Island. (news release)

GRID:

• PJM Interconnection’s market monitor says federal energy regulators should make the grid operator stop making and recoup past capacity payments to ineligible energy efficiency resources. (Utility Dive)
• The developer of a 125 MW solar project in LeRay, New York, intends to pay for the city’s easement rights under the Black River so that it can lay a transmission line. (NNY360)

TRANSIT: New York City’s Manhattan traffic congestion pricing plan is all but out the window, but the state has yet to undertake most transportation policies outlined in its climate scoping plan, like street design manual updates and truck emission regulations. (NY Focus)

FOSSIL FUELS: In Delaware, Chesapeake Utilities discusses its expansions since 2016 and its plans for growth in the near-future, including considering projects in the waste-to-gas space. (Delaware Business Times)

BUILDINGS: Maryland officials schedule several public meetings to educate building owners on new regulations requiring buildings larger than 35,000 square feet to notch net-zero direct emissions by 2040. (news release)

FINANCE: Climate advocates continue pressuring Maine’s public pension system to divest from fossil fuel-related investments. (Times Record)