Experts say Trump’s opposition will slow but not stop offshore wind

OFFSHORE WIND: Donald Trump’s opposition to offshore wind will create headwinds for the industry, but is unlikely to stop projects already under construction or thwart development in the long term, experts say. (Associated Press)

ALSO:

• The team negotiating the cost of Massachusetts’ latest offshore wind procurement says contracts won’t be ready to file before February 2025, after Trump is sworn in. (CommonWealth Beacon)
• The U.S. Bureau of Ocean Energy Management completes its final environmental impact statement for the proposed SouthCoast Wind project off Massachusetts. (Power Technology)

RENEWABLES: At the first public hearings on the New York Power Authority’s plan for 3.5 GW of new energy capacity, commenters say the plan needs to include more clean energy development. (Niagara Gazette, subscription)

ELECTIONS:

• Newly elected U.S. House members from Maryland and New York are among the climate champions entering Congress next session. (Inside Climate News)
• Facing a divided state legislature in Pennsylvania, communities affected by fracking will have to be as tenacious and outspoken as the industry is to protect their health and safety, says a former state environmental official. (The Allegheny Front)

HYDRO: The future of Maine’s aging hydroelectric dams, which produce nearly half the state’s renewable energy, is unclear in the face of tepid support from policymakers and more stringent environmental regulations. (The Maine Monitor)

SOLAR: A proposed ​“huge” solar array on 600 acres in a small Maine town raises questions about the tradeoffs between community character and the financial and environmental benefits of renewable energy development. (Portland Press-Herald, subscription)

HYDROGEN: Environmentalists wonder if major investments in ​“hydrogen hubs” — including one planned for Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and Delaware — will steer money away from more effective, safer decarbonization efforts. (Yale Environment 360)

GRID:

• Federal regulators approve grid operator PJM’s request to delay its next power supply auction in order to address concerns that the market is structured to drive up prices. (E&E News, subscription)
• Maryland’s largest utility receives $50 million in federal funding to bolster grid resilience and develop microgrids. (Microgrid Knowledge)

BATTERIES: A battery recycling company receives a $475 million federal loan to support its New York hub, where it will recycle and refine chemicals needed in the production of lithium-ion batteries. (PV Magazine Energy Storage)

COMMENTARY: As Trump champions more fracking in Pennsylvania, the state’s governor should act swiftly to implement rules protecting the health and safety of residents near these extraction operations, a concerned mother says. (Philadelphia Inquirer, subscription)