Court clears last obstacle for $1.5 billion transmission line

TRANSMISSION: A federal appeals court ruling likely removes the last major obstacle for a $1.5 billion transmission line project that would import hydropower from Canada into the New England grid. (Utility Dive)

NATURAL GAS:

• In Pennsylvania, a poll finds 58% of residents support a ban on fracking and more than 90% would like to see more environmental protections, increased air monitoring, and greater disclosure of chemicals used. (WHYY)
• A political analyst says the debate over fracking in the presidential campaign is more about signaling than any practical impact on drilling in Pennsylvania. (Pittsburgh Post-Gazette)

HEATING: In Vermont, draft rules for a system to incentivize lower-carbon heating sources propose counting biomass, renewable natural gas, and hydrogen as clean fuels, sparking objections by climate advocates. (Canary Media)

BUILDINGS: Maryland advocates say legislation passed this year slowing down implementation of clean building standards is ​“a significant setback” for the state. (Maryland Matters)

SOLAR:

• Twenty Pennsylvania farms and small businesses will receive a total of $4.5 million in federal funding, enabled by the Inflation Reduction Act, to help install solar panels. (WTAJ)
• Opposition by rural residents has slowed solar development throughout the mid-Atlantic states, a policy analyst says. (Bay Journal)

STORAGE: The Rhode Island Energy Facility Siting Board rules it has jurisdiction over large battery storage developments, allowing it to overrule local permitting decisions for these projects. (RTO Insider, subscription)

ELECTRIC VEHICLES:

• A Massachusetts start-up offers e-bike rentals in low-income communities for as little as $1 per day as part of a state-funded pilot program. (Fast Company)
• A new Maryland regulation encourages the installation of electric vehicle chargers on apartment buildings by requiring utilities to charge residential prices for the power used, rather than higher commercial rates. (RTO Insider, subscription)

TIDAL POWER: Despite local objections, a proposed tidal power project in Maine receives a key early permit from federal regulators, resurrecting a nearly identical plan that fizzled out in 2016. (Bangor Daily News)

COMMENTARY:

• In New York, nuclear power will need to be a component of any successful strategy to decarbonize electricity generation without soaring costs, say a group of sustainability leaders. (Syracuse.com)
• Connecticut should impose a moratorium on airport expansion, as current plans for growth will increase air pollution for local residents and threaten the state’s climate goals, says an area activist. (CT Mirror)