Feds say no link between offshore wind, dead whales in mid-Atlantic

WIND: Federal officials seek to assuage fears that dead, beached whales along the mid-Atlantic are the result of offshore wind development, with one saying ​“no information” supports the claim. (Associated Press)

ALSO:
• The Connecticut Port Authority needs more state funds to redevelop a pier for Ørsted and Eversource’s offshore wind industry activities, despite saying it wouldn’t and calls for the utilities to contribute more. (CT Mirror)
• Vineyard Wind I construction is steadily coming along, with a substation more than halfway done and much of the transmission cables already laid. (E&E News)
• A western New York legislator files a bill to block any future offshore wind farms on the Great Lakes from receiving tax credits. (Post-Journal)
• Ørsted plans to purchase PSEG’s 25% equity stake in the 1.1 GW Ocean Wind 1, making the Danish company the sole owner of the New Jersey development. (Associated Press)

OIL & GAS: Maine Rep. Chellie Pingree calls for a federal investigation into propane propaganda following a New York Times feature on the industry’s anti-electrification efforts. (Bangor Daily News, New York Times)

CLIMATE:
• Harvard Medical School works to incorporate climate change topics into its MD curriculum. (news release)
• Maine beekeepers have reported up to 50% annual honey bee hive losses in the past two years, citing drought, winter temperature fluctuations and extreme weather as contributing factors. (Bangor Daily News)
• New Hampshire snow plow businesses struggle as low snowfall leaves them without work to do. (NHPR)

SOLAR:
• Some residents of Shaftsbury, Vermont, want to fight plans for a 20 MW solar array nearby, citing the development’s size as well as possible viewshed impacts and tree clearing as concerns. (VT Digger)
• New Leaf Energy proposes developing a 5 MW solar array on roughly 21 acres of farmland in a western New York town. (Daily News)
• In Connecticut, Lodestar Energy seeks a permit from a state siting agency to build a 4 MW solar array in Enfield. (Hartford Business Journal)

BUILDINGS: A Massachusetts high school has been unable to turn off the lights for over a year because of faulty energy efficiency software, running up the district’s electricity bill. (NBC News)

WORKFORCE:
• Over $2 million in federal funds will go toward bolstering Northern Maine Community College’s wind technician program, helping fulfill state demand for a workforce trained in the industry. (Bangor Daily News)
• Southern Maine Community College will receive more than $1.75 million in federal funds to develop an electric vehicle repair workforce, among other labor needs. (Mainebiz)
• In Maryland, Baltimore County receives more than $2 million in American Rescue Plan funds to nurture a local offshore wind workforce pipeline through training programs and apprenticeships. (Towson Patch)

AFFORDABILITY:
• In Connecticut, United Illuminating plans to offer a $24 low-income customer discount and a $10 credit related to the utility’s supply contract with the Millstone nuclear plant to blunt the impact of rising costs. (CT Insider)
• With some Massachusetts ratepayers seeing utility bills rise by several hundred dollars a month, one Boston energy assistance program has seen a roughly 8% increase year-over-year in applications. (Lowell Sun, Boston Globe)