Climate change superfund laws stall out

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

CLIMATE

• Bills that aimed to make fossil fuel companies pay for the damages of climate change stalled out this year in several northeastern states, as lawmakers wait to see what happens in ongoing legal challenges to similar laws in New York and Vermont. (Bloomberg Law)

• In the final weeks of New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy’s term, the state legislature will consider a bill that would make his goal of reaching 100% clean energy by 2035 legally binding. (Inside Climate News)

NUCLEAR

• New York state and Ontario sign an agreement to collaborate on nuclear power technology, development, training, and financing. (CBC)

DATA CENTERS

• Federal regulators order grid operator PJM to create rules governing the co-location of power plants with data centers and other large power users, a move analysts call a ​“major victory” for power plant owners. (Utility Dive)

• In Maine, where energy prices are growing more quickly than almost anywhere else in the country, residents are increasingly concerned about the impact data center development could have on their electricity bills. (Maine Monitor)

NATURAL GAS

• Environmental advocates ask New Jersey regulators not to approve air quality permits for a compressor station that would be part of a controversial pipeline project the state is reconsidering after previously rejecting it twice. (Inside Climate News)

• New York Gov. Kathy Hochul signs a law eliminating a rule under which utility customers had to foot the bill for any new residential gas hookups within 100 feet of an existing service line, a move climate advocates say could slow the expansion of the gas system. (Gothamist)

SOLAR

• New wetlands protection rules in New York slow the process of permitting solar developments, even as developers are rushing to get new projects started ahead of the expiration of federal tax credits. (New York Focus)

• A Connecticut community solar program that provides bill credits to low- and moderate-income households aims to expand to 260 megawatts to the grid over the next eight years. (Hartford Courant)

STORAGE

• Massachusetts enters into contract negotiations with four selected projects for nearly 1,300 MW of battery storage, more than half of which will come from a large system under development on a site that was once home to massive oil storage tanks. (CommonWealth Beacon)

OFFSHORE WIND

• The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers approves Vineyard Wind’s request to transport large offshore wind turbine parts through a hurricane barrier, a rare example of a federal agency greenlighting an offshore wind-related request during the Trump administration. (New Bedford Light)

• New York state announces plans to invest up to $300 million in port upgrades to strengthen the offshore wind industry and supply chain. (news release)

GRID

• Federal regulators say it is ​“unacceptable” that grid operator PJM was unable to secure enough capacity to meet its reliability target in its most recent auction and order PJM to file new rules making it easier to build new power plants in the region. (Utility Dive)

• Maryland Gov. Wes Moore signs an executive order outlining steps aimed at attracting new power generation to boost the energy supply and lower prices in the long term. (Maryland Matters)

ELECTRIFICATION

• A Maine initiative focused on replacing fossil fuel heating with air-source heat pumps has served 127 households since its 2022 launch, and aims to add another 1,000 homes to the list over the next seven years. (Maine Monitor)

NEW FROM CANARY

• Electrifying these factories could cut a gigaton of CO2 pollution — Maria Gallucci

• A path to fast, cheap home solar and batteries: go through the meter — Jeff St. John

• Georgia’s lame-duck utility commission OKs massive, pricey gas buildout — Jeff St. John

• The 10 biggest clean energy stories of 2025 — Kathryn Krawczyk