Maine looks to ​‘whole-house’ heat pumps

BUILDINGS: New state incentives are pushing Mainers to adopt ​“whole-house” heat pump systems that make efficient electricity the primary home heat source and discourage the secondary use of oil or gas. (Energy News Network)

OFFSHORE WIND:

• Delaware begins negotiating with U.S. Wind over a lease to lay an underground power cable in a coastal state park for two proposed offshore wind farms projected to deliver over 1 GW of electricity. (WRDE, WBOC, WDEL)
• Federal officials issue a biological opinion that New Jersey’s Atlantic Shores offshore wind farm will likely ​“adversely affect” marine mammals but not seriously harm or kill them. (Associated Press)

TRANSIT: Around $142 million in federal funds will go toward improving public transit and flood mitigation along a Pittsburgh highway. (Trib Live)

SOLAR: More Maine towns are establishing rules and ordinances to limit and shape solar development within their boundaries, including Dixmont, where a recent ordinance requires solar applications to come with a decommissioning plan. (Bangor Daily News)

FOSSIL FUELS: After a more than decade-long ban, a gas driller will be allowed to drill 11 wells in Pennsylvania’s Dimock Township, reviving water contamination concerns. (Associated Press)

HYDROPOWER: In New York, a New Jersey renewable energy developer says it has had its preliminary permit application to build two hydroelectric plants at Sewall’s Island ​“accepted” by federal regulators. (NNY360)

WORKFORCE:

• Vineyard Wind says almost 2,000 Massachusetts residents have worked on the $4 billion offshore project. (Boston Globe)
• In Maryland, a new program aims to teach thousands of middle and high school students about offshore wind jobs and simulate the work involved. (Salisbury Daily Times)

CLIMATE: In New York City, data from the annual Central Park Christmas Bird Count shows warmer temperatures are allowing more southern, typically migratory species to stick around. (Gothamist)