Exxon Mobil heads to court in Connecticut

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FOSSIL FUELS

• Exxon Mobil could be headed to court to defend itself against Connecticut’s claims that the oil giant engaged in deceptive practices that contributed to climate change, after a judge rejects a request to dismiss the lawsuit. (CT Examiner)

• In New York, Exxon Mobil reaches an agreement with regulators to investigate the extent of enduring contamination at an oil refinery that has been out of operation since 1935. (Rochester First)

• Aging oil-fired power plants in New England face financial challenges in a changing market but may need to stay online to help the region deal with rising demand. (RTO Insider)

OFFSHORE WIND

• The federal government asks a judge to allow it to reconsider a key approval for New England Wind, a development slated to start construction off the Massachusetts coast in 2026. (New Bedford Light)

• As a Delaware state law allowing the construction of a substation to support the US Wind development is about to come into effect, the project still faces uncertainty as a judge considers whether to let the Trump administration reassess its federal permits. (Spotlight Delaware)

AFFORDABILITY

• Even as offshore wind projects off New England approach completion, state leaders in the typically progressive region are pivoting to embrace natural gas pipeline development in an attempt to lower costs. (E&E News)

CLEAN ENERGY

• New York wind and solar developers are waiting for Gov. Kathy Hochul to sign a bill standardizing how renewable energy projects are taxed — information they need to put together bids for state contracts before the Dec. 4 deadline. (New York Focus)

• The Baltimore Ravens reach an agreement to install solar panels on its stadium and two adjacent buildings to generate power to be used within the facility. (Baltimore Sun)

CLIMATE

• Democrats and environmental advocates in Pennsylvania worry that Gov. Josh Shapiro’s agreement to withdraw from the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative, or RGGI, will hamper climate progress in the state. (Grist)

• At the same time, RGGI’s growth stalls out with the withdrawal of Pennsylvania and fewer additional states expressing interest in joining. (Bloomberg Law News)

FEDERAL ACTION

• A federal appropriations bill signed into law last month includes $3 million to develop a national pilot based on New Hampshire’s Energy Circuit Rider program, which provides guidance to rural communities looking to develop cost-saving energy projects. (news release)

BIOFUELS

• After a series of recent expansions, a New Haven, Connecticut, plant that converts cooking oil into biodiesel is now the largest producer of biofuel on the East Coast. (CT Mirror)

NEW FROM CANARY

• As solar booms and coal fades, Greece’s mining region struggles to adapt — Dan McCarthy

• Ohio fines FirstEnergy $250M in landmark decision on HB 6 scandal — Kathiann M. Kowalski

• Exxon halts plans for massive low-carbon hydrogen facility in Texas — Alexander C. Kaufman

• FirstEnergy seeks looser reliability rules as outages grow more common — Kathiann M. Kowalski

• Colorado mandates ambitious emissions cuts for its gas utilities — Alison F. Takemura