Maryland consumers waiting on bill relief

This roundup of energy news headlines comes from our Northeast Energy News newsletter. Sign up to get it in your inbox each Monday, Wednesday, and Friday morning.

AFFORDABILITY

• Maryland consumers won’t see the savings promised by the major energy affordability bill recently signed into law until 2027. (Fox Baltimore)

• Pennsylvania state legislators consider a bill that aims to rein in high electricity costs and power companies’ ​“excessive profits” by capping the return on equity utilities can earn. (WHYY)

NATURAL GAS

• Maryland regulators are delaying a rule that would make new gas customers pay for the line extensions needed to serve their properties, saying they need more information on the policy’s potential economic impacts. (Maryland Matters)

ELECTRIFICATION

• New York state lawmakers are poised to pass a budget that includes measures delaying implementation of a statewide electric school bus mandate by five years. (Spectrum News)

STORAGE

• A controversial plan to build one of the country’s largest energy storage facilities on Staten Island has been abandoned following an upswelling of public opposition. (CBS News)

DATA CENTERS

• New Hampshire Gov. Kelly Ayotte expresses opposition to developing data centers in the state for fear that the added demand would mean ​“energy costs could skyrocket.” (WMUR)

SOLAR

• A new analysis finds Massachusetts has the potential to develop up to 92 GW of solar capacity, far more than enough to meet forecast demand in 2050. (PV Magazine)

• Democratic Maine Senate candidate Graham Platner’s energy plan includes support for renewables, but he voted to enact a solar moratorium in the town of Sullivan, Maine, when he served on the planning board there. (Inside Climate News)

POLLUTION

• Environmental and community groups ask a federal court to order tighter restrictions on emissions from energy-generating trash incinerators, a move that would help protect public health in several areas in New York and New Jersey. (Gothamist)

EFFICIENCY

• Vermont’s state legislature sends the governor a bill that would create a Commercial Property Assessed Clean Energy program, enabling a form of financing that could make energy efficiency measures more accessible to commercial building owners. (news release)

WORKFORCE

• A New York state legislator proposes a tax credit for renewable energy companies that hire veterans. (Brooklyn Eagle)

COMMENTARY

• Rhode Island Gov. Dan McKee’s proposal to save consumers money by cutting clean energy programs is ​“a short-sighted quick fix that doesn’t fix anything,” and would only delay and increase the costs of dealing with climate change, says a local climate advocate. (Rhode Island Current)

NEW FROM CANARY

• Solar to overtake coal on Texas grid for the first time ever this year — Julian Spector

• Ohio utilities report subpar grid reliability as they seek a lower bar — Kathiann M. Kowalski

• Soaring gas prices have drivers turning to EVs — except in the US — Kathryn Krawczyk