Lawsuits mount against Trump administration

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AFFORDABILITY

• Lawmakers and leaders throughout New England are proposing cuts to clean energy programs in an attempt to rein in utility bills, though advocates say these measures would only drive up costs in the long run. (Canary Media)

CLEAN ENERGY

• Ten northeastern states are among those that used more renewable energy than power generated by coal-fired plants last year, according to a new report. (Canary Media)

LITIGATION

• Maine’s efficiency agency joins three other states in a lawsuit against the EPA for withholding $20 billion due to state green banks, saying the federal agency has no evidence that the funding program is wasteful and fraudulent. (Maine Public)

• New Haven, Connecticut, and Baltimore join a lawsuit against President Trump over the administration’s practice of revoking access to funds already appropriated by Congress. (New Haven Independent)

• Small Massachusetts farms join a lawsuit against the Trump administration, alleging it is unlawfully withholding funds meant to help farmers install renewable energy, reduce fuel use, and preserve agricultural land. (New England Public Media)

NUCLEAR

• Advocates and neighbors express concerns about the safety of restarting nuclear power generation at Three Mile Island, particularly as climate change could make the site more prone to flooding. (Pennsylvania Capital-Star)

ELECTRIC VEHICLES

• Maine lawmakers advance a bill that would allow the state’s efficiency agency to ask grid operator ISO New England for money to help restart an EV rebate program that was paused when it ran out of money last fall. (Portland Press Herald)

GEOTHERMAL

• Adoption of geothermal technology is at an ​“inflection point” in New York City, an engineer says, with sizable projects in the works in all five boroughs, driven in part by regulations requiring new construction to go all-electric. (The City)

TARIFFS

• Most New York residents will not feel much short-term financial impact from Trump’s tariffs on Canadian energy, though if Canada decided to cut off the supply of natural gas to the U.S. there could be more severe effects, a new analysis concludes. (Syracuse.com)

UTILITIES

• A Connecticut utility says it has cut plans for $70 million in investment in the state, blaming the move on state regulators’ decision to deny a rate increase request in 2023. (CT Mirror)