Hydrogen hub plans raise doubts among environmental advocates

HYDROGEN: Advocates fear the planned Mid-Atlantic Clean Hydrogen Hub could siphon needed funding from other clean energy projects without delivering significant carbon reduction benefits, and pose health risks to neighboring communities. (Mother Jones)

EMISSIONS:

• New York Gov. Kathy Hochul has one month to decide whether to sign a bill that would require fossil fuel companies to pay billions for the damage caused by their emissions, then use the money to fund climate resiliency measures. (Inside Climate News)
• Federal officials approve New York City’s congestion pricing program, slated to come into effect in January, though the plan faces legal challenges from opponents who claim it is unconstitutional. (The Hill, New York Post)

ELECTRIC VEHICLES:

• Following a successful pilot program providing e-bike charging ports and battery swapping stations for delivery workers in New York City, the city announces plans to expand the program to an additional 173 locations. (Streetsblog NYC)
• A Vermont town adds six electric school buses to its fleet with help from a $1.2 million federal grant, as part of a plan to make half of its buses electric in coming years. (Williston Observer)

OFFSHORE WIND: The new Trump administration is likely to take measures to slow the proliferation of offshore wind, and some residents of Massachusetts coastal communities welcome the change. (Vineyard Gazette)

GRID:

• New York City could experience power shortages by the early 2030s as more fossil fuel power plants retire and electricity demand from data centers and computer chip manufacturing soars, according to a new report from the region’s grid operator. (Reuters)
• A Maryland county votes against a streamlined process for approving new data centers amid concerns that the energy-hungry facilities could do environmental damage and push electricity prices up. (Maryland Matters)

STORAGE: A Connecticut battery storage incentive program has been so popular that it has been suspended after paying out more than $48 million in two years. (Hartford Business Journal)

ELECTRIFICATION: Though wary at first, a Boston family transitions its home off fossil fuels entirely — and loves their lower energy bills and more comfortable home. (The Boston Globe)

HYDROPOWER: Across Maine, communities face complicated decisions about the future of the state’s aging hydroelectric dams. (The Maine Monitor)

COMMENTARY:

• The public health and economic stability of Baltimore’s port communities are at stake if the incoming Trump administration threatens the city’s plans to electrify equipment and add renewable energy at its port, an environmental justice advocate says. (Maryland Matters)
• Maine’s legislature must quickly commit to the measures outlined in the state’s latest climate plan to ensure continued progress in the face of coming federal opposition, says an editorial board. (Portland Press Herald, subscription)