Feds jumpstart Pennsylvania EV charging projects

ELECTRIC VEHICLES: Pennsylvania officials announce they’ll use $33.8 million in federal grants to build, operate and maintain electric vehicle charging stations across 35 counties. (Pennsylvania Capital-Star)

ALSO:
• A Rhode Island school district discusses the lessons learned in its first year of using electric school buses, including tricks to help drivers be more efficient. (ecoRI)
• New York City officials propose a local amendment that would allow for roughly golf cart-sized cargo e-bikes to make more efficient last-mile deliveries. (Gothamist)

OFFSHORE WIND: Ørsted’s chief executive explains his view of the Northeast offshore wind market on an earnings call, saying he’s ​“confident” that policymakers understand they need to pay more to reach their goals. (RTO Insider, subscription)

GRID:
• Officials in Erie County, New York, announce new measures to protect residents during blizzards following a fatal winter storm in 2022, including a new process to prevent ice and snow from damaging substations. (WIVB)
• New England’s grid operator suggests it needs a 21.5% revenue requirement hike to retain and expand its personnel, a proposal facing criticism from public advocacy groups over a lack of transparency and public comment. (RTO Insider, subscription)
• It’s been 20 years since the 2003 Northeast blackout left 50 million people without power across the region. (ABC 7)

OIL & GAS:
• A Japanese company agrees to sell the 693 MW oil-and-gas-fired Kleen Energy Systems power plant in Middletown, Connecticut, to a private equity firm for an undisclosed sum. (Utility Dive)
• Conservationists say a proposed pipeline carrying biogas from Vermont’s largest dairy farm to the Vermont Gas System is a false climate solution. (Seven Days)

SOLAR:
• The Philadelphia Energy Authority seeks contractors to install rooftop solar on the homes of at least 750 new low-to-moderate-income families. (WHYY)
• A New York school district is installing solar carports in the parking lots of six schools following an energy audit. (Patch)

CLIMATE:
• A new federal report shows Maine’s 54,000 acres of salt marsh and eelgrass habitat store almost 2 million metric tons of carbon, highlighting the ecosystem’s carbon sequestration potential. (Maine Public Radio)
• A common mid-Atlantic crab is appearing more frequently in Gulf of Maine estuaries amid warming ocean temperatures. (Maine Public Radio)

UTILITIES: The town of Windsor, Massachusetts, is still waiting to learn whether the state has approved its municipal power aggregation plan — roughly 16 months after filing it. (Berkshire Eagle)

BUILDINGS: Massachusetts receives almost $4 million in federal Energy Department grants to update and apply stretch energy and specialized building codes. (Mass Live)