Affordability concerns drown out climate conversation

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AFFORDABILITY

• New York Gov. Kathy Hochul says she wants to rewrite the state’s nation-leading climate laws, saying high energy prices and ongoing legal challenges make the current targets unworkable. (E&E News)

• The Maryland state House approves a sweeping energy affordability bill that includes steep cuts to energy efficiency programs, increased scrutiny of new power lines, and payments to residents from the state’s clean energy fund. (Maryland Matters)

• As Massachusetts Gov. Maura Healey and state lawmakers focus on measures aimed at reining in high energy costs, climate concerns are disappearing from policy conversations. (CommonWealth Beacon)

FOSSIL FUELS

• Emissions of carcinogenic gas benzene are well above state limits near some of the 120 large petroleum storage tanks in South Portland, Maine. (Inside Climate News)

DECARBONIZATION

• Massachusetts-based green cement startup Sublime Systems lays off two-thirds of its workforce after losing a federal grant — potentially throwing a wrench into its plans to build a manufacturing facility and supply Microsoft. (Canary Media)

OFFSHORE WIND

• Rhode Island Democratic Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse warns that he will again pause negotiations on an energy permitting bill if the Trump administration appeals court rulings that allowed construction on five offshore wind projects to proceed after federal orders shut them down in December. (E&E News)

TRANSIT

• The Connecticut Department of Transportation asks state lawmakers to lift a ban on buying diesel buses, saying backlogs in electric vehicle manufacturing are making it hard to keep enough vehicles in service. (CT Mirror)

STORAGE

• Residents of a historic Black neighborhood in Queens object to plans for a 4.9-megawatt battery storage system, though the developers behind the proposal say abundant precautions are in place against possible fires. (City and State New York)

• Storage and energy trade groups ask New York utility regulators to block Consolidated Edison from using a new review standard they say effectively prevents new battery storage systems from connecting to the grid. (RTO Insider)

UTILITIES

• More than 20% of what some Philadelphia-area consumers pay for electricity goes to utility company profits, a number far higher than the national average, according to a new report. (WHYY)

DATA CENTERS

• A Delaware county passes new regulations on data centers, including buffer zones and requirements for the use of energy-efficient generators. (WHYY)

• The city of Lowell, Massachusetts — home to one of the state’s largest data centers — imposes a moratorium on further data center development for at least a year. (Boston Business Journal)

EFFICIENCY

• An electric cooperative in Delaware launches an online marketplace where members can buy LED light bulbs, smart thermostats, and other energy-saving devices for below-retail prices. (CoastTV)

NEW FROM CANARY

• Virginia to become second state that allows balcony solar — Elizabeth Ouzts

• Trump admin courts Westinghouse rivals amid slow talks on new nuclear — Alexander C. Kaufman

• Which states have the most grid batteries? — Dan McCarthy

• Illinois to data centers: Bring your own renewables and skip the line — Kari Lydersen

Draft bill would let utilities own nuclear plants in Ohio — Kathiann M. Kowalski