Grid modernization key to Connecticut’s storm resilience

UTILITIES: Connecticut’s top utility regulator says extended outages after a recent tropical storm show the urgency of grid modernization, an effort she has championed for several months. (Energy News Network)

OFFSHORE WIND:
• Maryland regulators approve the use of a 12 MW offshore wind turbine for the Skipjack project instead of an originally planned 8 MW machine. (offshoreWIND.biz)
• Massachusetts signs leases with two offshore wind developers to use a terminal in New Bedford as for staging and turbine assembly. (offshoreWIND.biz)

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OIL & GAS:
• Pennsylvania fines a gas driller $175,000 for a well failure near a drinking water reservoir, though it was contained and didn’t threaten water supplies. (StateImpact Pennsylvania)
• Regulators also fine Sunoco $355,000 for spills in eight counties over 2018-19 related to Mariner East pipeline construction. (Patch.com)

CLIMATE: A new report says nine shore towns northeast of Boston face devastating consequences from storm surges by 2050 if measures are not taken to address impacts from climate change. (Gloucester Times)

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MARKETING: Massachusetts settles a lawsuit with an energy marketer over deceptive sales practices that includes $7.5 million in restitution for overcharged customers. (Boston Globe)

COMMENTARY:
• A public policy analyst says New York cannot give veto power over renewable projects to local governments that lack the necessary expertise. (Buffalo News)
• An editorial board praises New Jersey’s attorney general for joining an effort to stop a federal rule allowing liquified natural gas transport by rail. (NJ.com)
• A public interest advocate says New York closed a loophole overlooked in its fracking ban by preventing the disposal of waste water in the state. (WAMC)