Fed review clears Gulf of Maine OSW area

WIND: Federal ocean energy officials publish their final environmental assessment of a Gulf of Maine wind area, finding commercial wind energy projects would not have significant environmental impacts. (North American Wind Power)

ALSO:

• The joint offshore wind solicitation between Massachusetts and Rhode Island has led to 2,878 MW of project bids, the region’s largest offshore wind procurement but less than state officials wanted. (RTO Insider, subscription; Boston Globe)
• Delaware’s governor signs five climate-related bills into law, including legislation directing the state energy office to set up an offshore wind solicitation. (Delaware Public)
• Developers are expected to soon snap up the offshore wind development leases no longer being pursued by Ørsted off the New Jersey coast. (NJ Spotlight)

SOLAR:

• Clean energy advocates wait to see if New Hampshire will continue its net energy metering program, though state regulators seem unswayed by the policy’s widespread support. (Energy News Network)
• New Jersey launches a $156 million program to help thousands of disadvantaged residents tap into solar energy. (NorthJersey.com)
• In Maine, the governor’s energy office says two towns — Farmington and Sanford — lead the state in terms of solar development, with a combined 156.8 MW of capacity between them. (Maine Monitor)

FOSSIL FUELS: Pennsylvania environmentalists join their counterparts in Alabama and Indiana to sue the U.S. EPA over new air emission regulations for coke oven batteries that apparently didn’t evaluate risks. (WITF)

BUILDINGS:

• In Vermont, an updated cost estimate for implementing the state’s clean heat standard suggests it would actually cost less than $10 billion, or about half of what had previously been estimated. (VT Digger)
• Federal housing officials grant millions to apartment complexes in Grand Isle, Vermont; Camden, New Jersey; and Pittsburgh as part of an energy efficiency and climate resilience building retrofit program. (news release)

ELECTRIC VEHICLES: New York City receives a $15 million federal grant to install 600 curbside electric vehicle chargers; the city has a goal of building 10,000 curbside chargers by 2030. (Canary Media)

AFFORDABILITY: Some large commercial and industrial electricity users in Maine say that renewable energy incentives are causing massive and untenable increases in their bills. (Portland Press Herald)

GEOTHERMAL: The large building that houses the German Society of Pennsylvania switches from natural gas to a closed-loop geothermal energy system, hoping to convince nearby historic sites to do the same. (WHYY)

HYDROPOWER: Maine receives almost $34 million in federal funds to improve existing hydroelectric and pumped storage facilities through integrations with other renewable energy resources and making environmentally friendly changes. (WABI)

POLICY: Maine’s climate council hits the road to hold public forums to learn what residents want to see in the next version of the state’s climate plan. (Portland Press Herald)

GRID:

• In Maine, the Passamaquoddy Tribe receives a $7.4 million grant to form a community microgrid, part of the tribe’s 20-year carbon neutrality and energy independence plan. (Maine Public)
• A Maine news outlet considers whether it’s feasible to go off-grid in the state, evaluating factors like energy rebates. (Bangor Daily News)