Boston substation permits lawsuit reaches top state court

GRID: Massachusetts’ top court begins hearing a lawsuit brought by the Conservation Law Foundation and an environmental justice nonprofit over permits granted by the state to an East Boston substation developer that had been denied at the local level. (Chelsea Record)

ALSO:

• Some residents of New York’s Rockland County question how almost two years of construction on the Champlain Hudson Power Express transmission line might impact car traffic and residential life. (Rockland/​Westchester Journal News)
• A new survey published by Columbia University finds many of the developers of 69 projects within PJM Interconnection would need over two years to complete even after interconnection approval. (Utility Dive)

OFFSHORE WIND: Maryland’s governor signs new offshore wind policies into law that help the state’s only remaining contracted offshore wind developer revise its project bids — including costs. (news release; RTO Insider, subscription)

SOLAR:

• Maryland’s governor signs legislation aimed at accelerating solar adoption through automated permitting and new solar grants and incentives for low-to-moderate-income households, parking canopy installations, brownfield projects, and other beneficiaries. (news release)
• The local council of Frankford, Delaware, rejects a 44-acre solar project that would’ve been sited across from a central town park, noting the application didn’t meet local planning criteria like ensuring a ​“small town feel.” (Coastal Point)
• An energy developer finishes installing 1.67 MW worth of rooftop solar across several buildings for New Jersey’s Piscataway Township school district. (news release)

FOSSIL FUELS: Some residents of Pennsylvania’s Cecil Township push their local supervisors to expand an oil and gas drilling setback requirement for around hospitals and schools. (Observer-Reporter)

UTILITIES:

• A non-binding policy statement released last month by Pennsylvania utility commissioners that is neutral on what entities can own energy storage assets leaves utilities and developers debating who should. (Utility Dive)
• Pennsylvania lawmakers advance a bill to reauthorize and tweak existing protections for customers of public utilities to help them pay overdue bills. (news release)

TIDAL: In Pennsylvania, an energy developer gets local approval to test out tidal energy technology on Lake Erie. (Your Erie)

BUILDINGS: New Jersey will soon begin making multiple incentive ​“pathways” available for developers to electrify their new construction projects, providing up to $4.25 per square-foot. (RTO Insider, subscription)

HYDROGEN: A Delaware startup is one of four institutions in the state to receive federal funds to develop cleanly sourced hydrogen. (Delaware Business Times)

COMMENTARY:

• A University of Vermont PhD student of ecological economics argues that states should set caps on total per-capita energy use to see the benefits of energy efficiency upgrades. (Energy News Network)
• A Rhode Island columnist details why offshore wind is necessary in the face of climate change and addresses other questions posed by an anti-wind reader. (ecoRI)