Judge says New York emissions regs aren’t enough

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CLIMATE

• A judge finds that New York has failed to meet its legal obligation to issue regulations ensuring the state meets its greenhouse gas emissions targets. (New York Focus)

• New Hampshire’s first draft climate plan since 2009 focuses on voluntary measures and supporting existing programs, but does not include firm emissions reduction goals. (NHPR)

• The Republican candidate for governor in New Jersey says he would pull the state out of the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative, a voluntary program that caps carbon emissions from power plants and generates revenue for participating states. (New Jersey Monitor)

OFFSHORE WIND

• Offshore wind companies are hiring lobbyists with connections to President Trump in an attempt to fend off the president’s attacks on the industry. (E&E News)

FOSSIL FUELS

• U.S. Energy Secretary Chris Wright allows one unit of an oil-burning power plant in Maryland to run beyond its operating limits through the end of the year, saying the move is necessary to ensure grid reliability. (Reuters)

REGULATION

• The former chair of Connecticut’s Public Utilities Regulatory Authority champions a philosophy in which regulators proactively use their authority to advance state energy policies, rather than rubber-stamping utility requests. (Canary Media)

STORAGE

• A Texas energy company lays plans to build a large-scale battery energy storage system on the property that was once home to the Vermont Yankee nuclear power plant. (Vermont Public)

DATA CENTERS

• New York state legislators hear testimony about whether AI data centers will increase costs for electricity consumers. (News10)

TRANSMISSION

• The developers of a controversial transmission project in Maryland ask courts to prohibit some residents on the powerline’s proposed path from hunting on their own properties while surveyors are at work, saying comments by two landowners have them worried for workers’ safety. (Baltimore Sun)

SOLAR

• Seven Connecticut technical high schools are set to get solar panels totaling 4.6 megawatts in capacity that will save the schools money and provide workforce training opportunities for students. (Hartford Courant)

• A New Hampshire renewable energy advocacy group offers residents and businesses free ​“We’ve Gone Solar!” signs to spread awareness of solar power and spark conversations about its benefits. (Conway Daily Sun)

• A corner of Philadelphia’s Nicetown neighborhood is brightened by solar-powered streetlights. (WHYY)

COMMENTARY

• Automated solar permit technology is allowing Maryland towns to speed up the process of getting money-saving solar installations up and running, and should be adopted by more communities across the state, an environmental advocate says. (Maryland Matters)

NEW FROM CANARY

• California can’t get out of its own way on geothermal — Alexander C. Kaufman

• In a first, a data center is using a big battery to get online faster — Julian Spector

• The complicated reality behind rising power prices — Kathryn Krawczyk