80 MW solar farm faces permit appeal in PA

SOLAR: Two environmental advocacy organizations appeal a permit issued for an 80 MW solar array in Pennsylvania’s Pocono Township because of deforestation and runoff concerns. (Pocono Record)

OFFSHORE WIND:
• Federal officials want the public’s opinion on selling wind development rights along Maine’s coast as well as plans for a pilot deploying floating wind turbines, which would be the first in the U.S. (Bloomberg)
• An offshore wind developer buys a popular block along an Atlantic City, New Jersey, boardwalk for ​“future project facilities,” leaving locals wondering what’s planned for the space. (Philadelphia Inquirer)

GRID:
• Pennsylvania ratepayers can’t opt out of their home smart meters unless the devices interfere with a medical condition that can be backed up with evidence, the state’s top court rules. (Law360)
• In New York City, an electric vehicle rental company’s charging station will implement vehicle-to-grid technology, making it the first such program to connect to ConEd’s system. (Crain’s New York)

FOSSIL FUELS:
• Bangor, Maine, is still cleaning up coal tar contamination in the Penobscot River, half a century after a polluting riverside gas plant closed and 15 years after the state required a cleanup. (Bangor Daily News)
• In Vermont, a man files a citizens’ petition to require a community vote regarding whether a gas utility’s authorized easement should be vacated. (Addison County Independent)

BIOFUELS: New York City’s new composting problem promises to turn organic waste into ​“clean, renewable energy,” drawing allegations of greenwashing from experts. (Vice)

CLIMATE:
• Federal scientists mull whether to set an earlier start date for the North Atlantic hurricane season, as major storms regularly threaten the U.S. before the official start. (ABC News)
• New York state officials outfit a fleet of Toyota Priuses with air monitoring equipment to develop a block-by-block understanding of pollution levels in New York City. (Gothamist)
• A New York City neighborhood demands more representation as city officials prepare to demolish a park to make it more climate resilient. (The City)
• A nonprofit research organization says Maine counties will see twice as many summer days above 90 degrees within the next 30 years. (Sun Journal)

ELECTRIC VEHICLES: In Washington, D.C., American University rolls out electric scooters for students, faculty and staff to zip around campus. (WTOP)

AFFORDABILITY: Democrats in New York’s Ulster County legislature decide to eliminate bus fares on their local transit system over objections by their Republican colleagues. (Daily Freeman)