Estimates vary for Appalachian coal export recovery at Port of Baltimore

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FOSSIL FUELS: Estimates vary widely as to when the Port of Baltimore’s closure will no longer restrict Appalachian coal exports, ranging from about two weeks to several months. (Pittsburgh Business Times)

EMISSIONS: The Massachusetts Institute of Technology says its researchers have discovered an efficient process to convert carbon dioxide into another, more useful substance, calling it ​“a path forward for decarbonization.” (news release)

OFFSHORE WIND:

• New bids for New England offshore wind projects included power cable landing locations on Cape Cod that had been considered in earlier iterations of the developments. (Cape Cod Times)
• New York’s first offshore wind port will use only union labor, per a new deal signed between the site’s developer and labor groups. (The Verge)
• After federal officials pushed the Sunrise wind farm to its latest milestone, developer Ørsted says it expects its final permits this summer. (Newsday)

UTILITIES:

• Rhode Island utility regulators approve lower summer electricity rates for Rhode Island Energy customers, but gas bills are expected to rise through a separate proceeding. (Rhode Island Current)
• Maine’s House votes 75-67 against a bill that would have made state utility regulators consider performance-based ratemaking for the state’s two investor-owned utilities. (Maine Morning Star)
• A former chair of New York’s utility commission has been tapped to serve as the acting chief executive officer of the Long Island Power Authority. (Long Island Business News)

SOLAR: ISO New England says that while solar panel production will drop during the upcoming solar eclipse, ratepayers shouldn’t expect outages since the situation is similar to daily sunset. (WGME)

TRANSIT: Maine’s House decides not to study creating a passenger rail service between Portland and Bangor, with some representatives saying they don’t believe the region has enough population to justify the project. (Kennebec Journal)

BUILDINGS: Symptoms of climate change, including sea level rise, threaten to upend the Nantucket beachside real estate market, exemplified by a recent sale of a home for $600,000 when the median sale price is $3.2 million. (Boston Globe)

Correction: Institutional buildings around Greensburg, Pennsylvania, could save about $19.3 million on power bills over 25 years if they installed solar panels. Yesterday’s digest misstated the amount.