Equity-focused opponents of Maryland climate bill had fossil fuel ties

NATURAL GAS: A group that claimed a Maryland climate bill would be harmful to Black residents had backing from a group with ties to the fossil fuel industry, which a spokesman defends as ​“something that happens every day in advocacy.” (Washington Post)

OFFSHORE WIND:

• Developers are expected to sign agreements this week with New England utilities for two offshore wind farms, but the fate of a second phase of the Vineyard Wind project, which lacks federal approval, remains unclear. (WCAI)
• A public meeting with federal regulators on last summer’s blade failure on the Vineyard Wind farm has been postponed ​“due to the volume of questions received.” (Cape Cod Times)
• A New Jersey congressman says he was tasked with drafting an executive order for the Trump administration to freeze offshore wind development for six months. (NJ Spotlight)

GRID:

• A report identifies peaker plants in Massachusetts that advocates say should be replaced with clean energy resources in order to meet the state’s 2050 climate target. (CommonWealth Beacon)
• While Maine prohibits utilities from owning power plants, state regulators have yet to determine whether that includes energy storage, which Central Maine Power and Versant argue is part of the distribution system. (Maine Monitor)
• An advocacy group urges the New York Power Authority to develop clean energy resources in cities to help reduce the need for new transmission lines. (Albany Times-Union)

TRANSPORTATION: While there is limited data on New York’s congestion pricing so far, residents are reporting calmer streets and quicker bus trips, and Republican lawmakers say they have an unspecified plan with President-elect Donald Trump to kill the program. (New York Times, Gothamist)

ELECTRIC VEHICLES: New Hampshire will receive $15 million for electric vehicle charging infrastructure, part of a $5 billion allocation of Bipartisan Infrastructure Law funding announced last week. (Manchester Ink Link) 

CLEAN ENERGY:

• At a panel discussion, Massachusetts lawmakers say the state’s new law to accelerate clean energy installations includes important safeguards for communities. (Daily Hampshire Gazette)
• A cooperative serving two Maine islands will receive $8.7 million from the Inflation Reduction Act to upgrade a 4.5 MW wind farm and develop a new solar array on a capped landfill. (Maine Public)

SOLAR: A Vermont company prepares to launch a line of lightweight, peel-and-stick solar panels they say will be cheap to install on a variety of surfaces. (WCAX)

CLIMATE:

• Maryland state agencies have submitted plans to cut emissions to meet state climate goals, but budget shortfalls and the potential loss of federal funding may make those targets difficult to reach. (Maryland Matters, Inside Climate News)
• Advocates say a Pennsylvania criminal case over a nightclub collapse could provide a template for prosecuting fossil fuel companies for climate damages, but some legal experts are skeptical. (WHYY)