Connecticut-Massachusetts renewables deal reportedly in the works

WIND: The governors of Connecticut and Massachusetts are reportedly in talks to buy power from projects in each other’s states, which would lead to Connecticut offtaking power from the proposed Vineyard Wind 2 project and Massachusetts taking nuclear power from Connecticut’s Millstone plant. (Hartford Courant, CommonWealth Beacon)

ALSO:

• Empire Offshore Wind pulls its application with New York state to lay a power cable onshore; the developer says it is still working on the Empire Wind 2 lease area and will consider other offtake options. (RTO Insider, subscription)
• Connecticut wind advocates question the governor’s motive for not committing to more offshore wind, with some wondering if it’s more tied to the election year than genuine concern for ratepayers. (CT Mirror)

GRID:

• Some conservationists say the planned Maryland Piedmont Reliability Project power line would cross nature preserves and state parks, undoing ​“hard-won and costly protections on thousands of acres of land.” (Bay Journal)
• Developers of the New England Clean Energy Connect transmission line are reapplying for a permit in Jay, Maine, since numerous delays pushed the project off so long that its original permit will soon expire. (Sun Journal)

ELECTRIC VEHICLES: A $21 million federal grant will help pay for new electric vehicle charging stations along New York’s interstate highways. (WGRZ)

POLICY: Massachusetts’ governor wants the state’s supplemental budget bill to include renewable energy permitting and procurement reforms that the legislature didn’t pass this summer. (RTO Insider, subscription)

FOSSIL FUELS:

• A glut of gas supply coming out of Pennsylvania has led to depressed prices, but not enough infrastructure exists to haul it away to places where it can be sold at a preferable price. (New York Times)
• Pennsylvania fracking workers and leaders say the industry will carry on no matter who is next in the White House. (AFP)

BUILDINGS: Although some Maine installers worry that shifting incentives to favor whole-home heat pumps will be more costly and more of a power outage risk than heat pumps that affect a few rooms, the head of Maine’s efficiency agency says there’s plenty of consumer interest. (Portland Press Herald)

TRANSIT: A New York City council member wants to make electric Citi Bike fares cost as much as an equivalent subway ride for members, saying the price to rent one has blown past what working class residents can afford. (Gothamist)

FLOODS:

• For many New York City residents, homeownership isn’t affordable unless they accept the risks inherent in purchasing a house within a flood zone. (New York Times)
• Maine’s former top public health official says the state needs to learn how to better handle the public health problems associated with climate-driven flooding. (Portland Press Herald)

AFFORDABILITY: A quarter of low-income Philadelphia households face what experts call a severe energy burden, with 16% of their income going toward energy bills. (WHYY)

COMMENTARY: Boston and the rest of the Northeast U.S. are becoming dangerously hot for longer periods of time, but certain investments and practices could help mitigate risk, according to a doctor and an environmental health professor. (CommonWealth Beacon)