Connecticut developers pair sheep grazing with solar projects

SOLAR: Connecticut solar developers start to use sheep for vegetation control as more sites are seen as potential locations for dual energy and agricultural production. (Energy News Network)

ALSO: The developer of a 4.4 MW solar project in New York rejects findings made against it by county planners and asks the town hosting it to proceed with its own approvals. (Altamont Enterprise)

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OIL & GAS: The bankrupt former owner of a Philadelphia oil refinery destroyed by a 2019 fire blames a mislabeled pipe that failed and caused an explosion. (Philadelphia Inquirer)

CLIMATE:
• Legislators in Rhode Island say a new climate bill must be enforceable and include the ability of residents to sue the state for non-compliance. (ecoRI)
• Former Rhode Island Gov. Gina Raimondo is confirmed as U.S. Commerce Secretary, leading the department that includes government climate research and fisheries management. (E&E News, subscription required)

PIPELINES:
• A natural gas distributor in Maine cancels a $90 million pipeline project just weeks after announcing it as local opposition mounts. (Bangor Daily News)
• PennEast Pipeline argues in a U.S. Supreme Court brief that a lower court ruling rejecting eminent domain over state lands in New Jersey misconstrues federal law. (E&E News, subscription required)

OFFSHORE WIND: A host community agreement between offshore wind developers and New London, Connecticut will pay the city $750,000 per year for seven years during the expected construction phases of three wind farms in New England. (Journal Inquirer)

EMISSIONS: Voters in a Vermont city pass a referendum that allows it to ask state legislators for permission to tax developments that use fossil fuels. (WCAX)

UTILITIES:
• More than a half-million residential customers and 91,000 commercial accounts owing more than $700 million face utility shut-offs in New Jersey in less that two weeks if a moratorium is not extended. (NJ Spotlight)
• Two New York utilities have added electric backhoes to their maintenance fleets. (Construction Equipment Guide)

COMMENTARY:
• An editorial board says current climate legislation working through the Maryland legislature is a chance to reverse years of backsliding that should not be missed. (Baltimore Sun)
• A Connecticut River advocate says current relicensing petitions for five hydroelectric dams are the last chance to enhance fish ladders for migratory species to successfully move upstream. (VT Digger)