Coalition proposes U.S.-Canada offshore wind transmission line

OFFSHORE WIND: A group of seven developers releases a proposal for an underwater transmission corridor that would serve U.S. and Canadian wind farms off the Northeast coast. (Power Engineering)

ALSO: The myth that offshore wind development is killing marine wildlife persists on social media after a malnourished whale turns up on a Maine beach; meanwhile, a tabloid amplifies claims from a prominent climate change denier on the issue. (News Center Maine, New York Post)

NATURAL GAS:
• A Massachusetts company that builds biodigesters to turn supermarket waste into biogas is planning a major expansion with support from new federal incentives and an investment from Canadian pipeline company Enbridge. (Canary Media)
• Opponents of a plan to ship Pennsylvania natural gas to a New Jersey port for export release a study predicting a significant increase in greenhouse gas emissions from the project. (States Newsroom)

ELECTRIFICATION:
• Attorneys general from six Northeast states and the District of Columbia sign on to a letter urging the federal government to do more to regulate emissions from gas stoves. (WTOP)
• The Washington, D.C., city council will hold a hearing today on a bill to help 30,000 low-income households swap out gas appliances for electric. (WUSA)
• A Vermont utility is promoting a hybrid heating system that uses an electric heat pump backed up by a gas-fired boiler. (WCAX)

ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE: Rhode Island’s House of Representatives last week advanced a bill applying more scrutiny to polluting developments proposed in designated environmental justice areas. (States Newsroom)

ELECTRIC VEHICLES:
• The city of Newark, Delaware, is the first to purchase electric vehicles and lawnmowers under a new state grant program. (Delaware Public Media)
• Advocates say automakers’ push to abandon AM radio, which doesn’t work well in EVs due to electromagnetic interference, could impact emergency response in places like rural Pennsylvania. (Philadelphia Inquirer)
• A New Jersey town with its own municipal utility considers rules to track power use by high-capacity electric vehicle chargers. (Lavallette-Seaside Shorebeat)

TRANSPORTATION:
• Advocates in Portland, Maine, are pushing for a regional mass transit system as a climate-friendly alternative to expanding highways, while the director of the state’s turnpike authority says ​“the first goal has to be getting traffic moving.” (Maine Public)
• Advocates in Rhode Island push for legislation that will regulate e-bikes and allow them on bike paths, where they are currently illegal. (EcoRI)

JOBS: A report from the Connecticut Green Bank says the state’s clean energy industry saw significant job growth in 2021, but still lagged behind other states. (Hartford Business Journal)

COMMENTARY: A physician’s group says New Jersey’s proposed new clean cars standards will be critical to protecting public health. (NJ.com)