Maine offshore wind could provide most of New England’s power, report finds

WIND: A new report commissioned by New Hampshire energy officials finds that offshore wind in one Gulf of Maine parcel could supply up to 70% of New England’s power demand if coupled with energy storage, and create over 3,600 jobs in the state. (NHPR)

ALSO:

• A consortium of western Pennsylvania municipalities, including Pittsburgh, agrees to purchase enough renewable energy credits from an Ohio wind farm to equal about 40% of the area’s power needs. (WESA, Trib Live)
• Vineyard Wind 1 and three banks agree to a $1.2 billion tax equity package they say is the largest ever single-asset tax equity financing and the first for a commercial-scale offshore wind project. (news release)

UTILITIES:

• With Maine’s public utility takeover ballot initiative around the corner, the owners of the state’s two investor-owned utilities have significantly overspent supporters on a campaign to defeat the measure. (Canary Media, Morning Sentinel)
• A mass shooting in Maine leads both proponents and detractors of the public utility takeover initiative to quiet their campaigns during a time they had prepared to make their closing arguments to voters. (Portland Press Herald)

ELECTRIC VEHICLES: New Jersey residents filed over 1,000 public comments with the state over its plan to phase out the sale of gas-fueled vehicles, ranging from excitement to pessimism and concern. (NJ Advance Media)

BUILDINGS:

• New York issued more than $14 million to struggling public schools to electrify kitchen equipment, reduce emissions and improve air quality. (SI Live)
• New Hampshire Sen. Jeanne Shaheen touts how $200,000 in federal funds will pay for efficiency upgrades in 100 mobile homes in Exeter. (NHPR)
• Massachusetts residents say a utility-run program aimed at encouraging energy-efficient home appliances say they face long delays and unclear communication. (WCVB)

SOLAR:

• The town supervisor of Lewisboro, New York, hopes a solar carport being developed to provide half of a park’s energy needs will help inspire households and businesses to look into clean energy. (Mid Hudson News)
• The University of Vermont opens a new solar research and training facility today as part of a partnership with local energy officials and the city of Burlington. (NBC 5)

TRANSIT: The panel developing a congestion tolling plan for New York City still hasn’t come to a consensus on how much to charge trucks and how to charge for-hire vehicles. (Gothamist)

EQUITY: Pennsylvania’s new environmental justice policy doesn’t go far enough and leaves too many voices out of the conversation, some advocates say. (WHYY)

FOSSIL FUELS: Two Pennsylvania agencies investigate the source of repeated oil slicks on the Monongahela River near a steel company’s operation. (CBS Pittsburgh)

HYDROPOWER: A Maryland news outlet analyzes the environmental benefits and drawbacks of the state’s largest renewable energy resource: the 572 MW Conowingo hydroelectric dam. (Maryland Matters)

CLIMATE:

• New Haven, Connecticut, receives $3 million in federal funds to plant 5,000 trees for climate mitigation, a project the city’s climate czar calls ​“hackneyed” but effective. (New Haven Independent)
• Philadelphia will use over $4 million in federal funds to plant trees and pay for air conditioning units to help residents mitigate extreme heat, among other projects. (WHYY)