Baltimore coal plants offer national lessons

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

FOSSIL FUELS

• A proposal to keep two coal-fired power plants open in Baltimore at an average annual cost of $247 per household offers a glimpse at the dynamics facing the Trump administration’s goal of keeping coal plants running to meet growing demand. (E&E News)

• Fossil fuel companies argue in court that a Pennsylvania county has no standing to sue them for allegedly covering up the climate risks posed by their products, while plaintiffs argue they have the right to ask for corporate accountability. (WHYY)

OFFSHORE WIND

• New England is counting on the growth of offshore wind to help meet growing demand for electricity, the head of the region’s grid operator tells a Congressional subcommittee. (Maine Morning Star)

• New England’s grid could accommodate connections to as many as eight 1,200 MW offshore wind farms without any further infrastructure construction, a new report finds. (Utility Dive)

HYDROGEN

• The U.S. Energy Department reportedly considers maintaining funding for three hydrogen hubs in largely Republican states while cutting funding for four projects in Democratic-leaning areas, including the Mid-Atlantic hub in Pennsylvania, Delaware and New Jersey. (Politico)

DECARBONIZATION

• The State University of New York at Albany launches a $30 million energy overhaul that will eliminate the need for gas-fired boilers in the summer through the use of an extensive geothermal system. (Utility Dive)

GRID

• Pennsylvania state legislators introduce a bill intended to create more transparency from grid operator PJM by prohibiting secret voting on regional energy policies. (Bucks County Beacon)

POLICY

• Maryland lawmakers assemble an omnibus energy bill that would create a hardship rebate for consumers, implement a fast-track process for approving new power generation, and prohibit trash-burning facilities from claiming renewable energy subsidies. (Maryland Matters)

• New York’s energy industry prepares to navigate an uncertain future, as state officials refocus their priorities from climate to affordability and the Trump administration continues its hostility to renewable energy. (Times Union)