Maine lawmaker steps down to focus full-time on public utility push

Northeast Energy News will not be published Monday, June 20 for the Juneteenth holiday. Thanks for reading, and we’ll be back Tuesday.

UTILITIES: A seven-term Maine state legislator and former House majority leader drops his reelection bid to focus entirely on a ballot referendum effort to create a public power authority. (Portland Press Herald)

EFFICIENCY: Maine’s recently approved three-year efficiency plan includes a 40% increase in funding for services to low- and medium-income households. (Energy News Network)

TRANSPORTATION: The regional transportation board serving the Washington, D.C., area approves a plan to slash carbon emissions in half by 2030, despite concerns from some members about whether the target is reachable. (DCist)

PIPELINES: Pennsylvania utility regulators hand the Mariner East Pipeline developers their latest fine: a $51,000 penalty for residential-area construction violations. (Philadelphia Inquirer)

OIL & GAS:
• At a panel discussion in Boston, natural gas executives say their product is a ​“foundational fuel” that will survive efforts to decarbonize the economy. (Boston Globe)
• Maryland’s occupational safety board finds 16 violations with a petroleum recovery operation after a worker died during an on-the-job explosion in March. (WBAL)
• Pennsylvania regulators move forward with half of a rule meant to limit air pollution from oil and gas wells, limiting its oversight to shale sites and related equipment. (Pittsburgh Post-Gazette)

ELECTRIC VEHICLES: A Massachusetts startup offers an app for electric vehicle drivers that lets them order an on-demand charging station that’s delivered wherever they are. (Boston Globe)

SOLAR:
• A lease for a 120 MW solar project is one of the 57 items residents of a Maine town will vote on at their annual town meeting this weekend. (Sun Journal)
• Officials in a New Jersey township consider whether to allow a solar project on a former landfill site. (CentralJersey.com)

OFFSHORE WIND:
• Rhode Island lawmakers are delaying an offshore wind bill as the House and Senate are divided over a utility incentive that could reach $3.2 million a year. (Providence Journal)
• A report says Maine’s colleges are well-positioned to provide training for a growing offshore wind workforce. (MaineBiz)
• Massachusetts is seeking proposals for a $50 million fund to develop ports to support offshore wind construction. (Standard-Times)

NUCLEAR: Voters from 15 towns resoundingly reject a plan to dump 1 million gallons of radioactive water from the closed Pilgrim nuclear plant into Cape Cod Bay. (Cape Cod Times)

GRID: Communities in Maine and Massachusetts are among 12 participants in a Department of Energy program to expand clean energy and improve reliability in remote locations. (PV Magazine)

CLIMATE:
• Activists say New York City’s comptroller is not acting quickly enough on his pledge to divest the city’s pension funds from fossil fuels. (New York Daily News)
• As scientists warn sea level rise exacerbated by climate change will lead to more flood-causing high tides, one research group seeks volunteer tide watchers. (WMTW, Maine Public)
• Maine’s lobster pounds are increasingly shutting down as waters warm, with one pound owner recording mortality rates of up to 28%. (Bangor Daily News)

COMMENTARY: An advocate says New Jersey lawmakers should extend incentives for developers of solar projects that are awaiting interconnection. (NJ Spotlight)