EPA challenges state offshore wind approval

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.

OFFSHORE WIND

• The U.S. EPA declares that Maryland environmental regulators last month improperly issued a permit for the US Wind project, ordering developers to rectify their errors, but Gov. Wes Moore is determined to push forward with offshore wind, despite federal challenges. (WBFF)

• GE Vernova will pay the town of Nantucket and local businesses $10.5 million to compensate for damages incurred when a turbine blade manufactured by the company collapsed into the ocean last year; project developer Vineyard Wind, however, is not a signatory to the deal. (Nantucket Current)

SOLAR

• A five-megawatt solar canopy proposed for a two-mile stretch of highway median in Lexington, Massachusetts, would be the first such project in the country; developers are confident construction will begin in time to take advantage of disappearing federal tax credits. (Lexington Observer)

• A plan for a 140-MW solar project in New York gets the greenlight from state regulators and expects to begin construction in 2026. (Renewables Now)

• A 3.2-MW community solar development is unveiled in Maryland, helping move Howard County toward its goal of deploying 437 MW of solar by 2030. (Baltimore Sun)

• Two Maine companies launch a plan to build 10 solar-powered affordable homes using as many materials procured in-state as possible. (Bangor Daily News)

DATA CENTERS

• At tomorrow’s energy and AI summit in Pittsburgh, which President Trump is expected to attend, some leaders will tout natural gas-rich Pennsylvania as a clear location for the development of power-hungry data centers. (Allegheny Front)

FOSSIL FUELS

• Environmental advocates sue the EPA in an attempt to get the agency to tighten its regulations on highly reactive hydrofluoric acid, a potentially dangerous chemical still being used at a Pennsylvania oil refinery despite the existence of safer alternatives. (Pennsylvania Capital-Star)

• Nonprofits Environmental Defense Fund and Moms Clean Air Force team up with Pennsylvania’s state environmental protection department to start plugging some of the 300,000 to 700,000 abandoned gas and oil wells scattered throughout the western part of the state. (WTAE)

BATTERIES

• Developers behind a proposed battery project in a rural Massachusetts town try to circumvent local opposition by going directly to the state, a new option created by a climate law passed late last year. (Boston.com)

• During recent hot weather, battery storage provided as much as 3% of New York City’s electricity, a figure that supporters say argues for further battery development, despite mounting concerns from residents. (SILive)

WORKFORCE

• Maine’s Wabanaki tribes train members to be energy-efficiency auditors and heat pump technicians to help develop career pathways, create savings for homeowners, and keep money within the community. (Tribal Business News)