Maryland advocates celebrate energy wins, contemplate setbacks

POLICY: Maryland environmentalists say they have a lot to celebrate after the state’s most recent legislative session, but also several setbacks, including failed bills to stop trash incineration subsidies and permitting changes to reduce further pollution in disadvantaged communities. (Bay Journal)

ALSO: Maryland’s chief sustainability officer says a budget amendment that delays building efficiency measures would put the state years behind on its climate goals and risk federal funding. (WBAL)

WIND:

• An Ørsted executive says the wave of East Coast project cancellations shows how offshore wind developers need to derisk their projects as early as possible before making final investments. (Utility Dive)
• Delaware lawmakers consider requiring the state to solicit bids from offshore wind developers for enough electricity to power 400,000 homes. (Delaware Public Media)
• Construction gets underway at the 55 MW Dan’s Mountain onshore wind farm in northwest Maryland. (Windpower Monthly)
• The Massachusetts Water Resources Authority sues a maintenance contractor over a Deer Island wind turbine that had a blade tip fly off last year. (WHDH)

HYDROPOWER:

• In Canada, Hydro-Québec and the Mohawk Council of Kahnawake agree to jointly own a transmission line that will send hydropower to New York City. (Montreal Gazette)
• Some Massachusetts farmers support relicensing four hydroelectric dams and a pumped storage facility on the Connecticut River, with one saying the infrastructure could help with flooding. (WWLP)
• Hundreds of public comments have been filed against a proposed $2.5 billion dam and pumped storage project on the Lower Susquehanna River in Pennsylvania’s York County. (Penn Live Patriot News)

SOLAR:

• New Jersey utility officials approve eight solar projects with a combined capacity of 310 MW, more than the target capacity, following a solicitation they reissued after receiving too-costly bids last year. (RTO Insider, subscription)
• A life science building just outside of Boston has installed a 252 kW rooftop solar array with storage, as well as 15 electric vehicle chargers. (news release)
• An affordable housing development on Martha’s Vineyard was supposed to have rooftop solar but hasn’t been able to install panels for two years because Eversource and Massachusetts officials need to upgrade a substation. (Vineyard Gazette)

ELECTRIC VEHICLES:

• Eversource says it’s taking a break from processing new Connecticut electric vehicle charging rebate applications while it waits for a regulatory decision on funding the initiative. (Hartford Courant)
• Two Delaware public school districts will introduce their first electric school buses this summer and begin installing charging infrastructure at the end of the current school year. (Delaware Business Times)
• In New York, Amazon begins using electric delivery vans on routes near Buffalo — its second upstate New York location to make the switch. (WIVB)
• A New Jersey mall installs 20 level 2 electric vehicle chargers across its parking lots. (MyCentralJersey.com)

RENEWABLE ENERGY:

• Northeast climate advocates want billions in federal climate dollars to be dispersed before the 2024 presidential election, as they’re concerned that another Trump term will end further renewable energy funding. (Boston Globe)
• While New York lawmakers look to accelerate renewable energy project approvals, some rural municipalities worry they’ll remove local power to regulate projects. (CBS 6)

BIOGAS: An anaerobic digester company based in the Boston suburbs aims to hire up to 100 more workers in the next year as it looks toward its goal of opening 100 waste-to-gas facilities. (Boston Business Journal)

BUILDINGS: Federal energy officials grant $158 million in Inflation Reduction Act funds to New York to help homeowners pay for energy efficiency upgrades. (NCPR)

UTILITIES: Although New York’s Assembly is considering a bill to fully municipalize the Long Island Power Authority, state senators have yet to introduce such legislation. (TBR News Media)

INCINERATION: A new documentary highlights the plight and resilience of residents of a suburban Philadelphia city burdened with air pollution from a trash incineration plant. (Philadelphia Inquirer)