Maryland’s last coal plant can’t close just yet

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.

COAL

• Maryland’s last coal-fired power plant is on the verge of shutting down, but the closure could be delayed as much as two years until utility BGE can build new power lines and substations to replace the lost electricity flow. (Baltimore Sun)

• A Pennsylvania environmental group says state regulators are failing to provide proper oversight into the damages underground coal mines are doing to nearby water supplies and properties. (Pennsylvania Capital-Star)

DATA CENTERS

• Amazon is abandoning plans to build data centers on the campus of a Maryland nuclear plant following fierce local opposition. (Maryland Matters)

• Grid operator PJM releases a plan calling for data centers and other large loads to secure their own power or be cut off from grid supply when demand is high. (Canary Media)

• A flurry of data center proposals in Pennsylvania’s Pocono Mountains have residents of the scenic spot worried about the impact on the power grid, water quality, and the landscape. (Inside Climate News)

BUILDINGS

• An increasing number of Massachusetts homeowners are putting up factory-built backyard cottages that can both help ease the state’s housing crisis and lower residential greenhouse gas emissions. (Canary Media)

SOLAR

• Delaware’s first floating solar array — a 3-MW project atop a wastewater treatment pond — comes online. (news release)

ELECTRIC VEHICLES

• Pennsylvania plans to use federal funds to install EV chargers in smaller communities where they can both serve locals and draw in out-of-town visitors. (Spotlight PA)

LITIGATION

• A New York man sues his employer for violating his religious rights by declining to offer fossil-fuel-free investment options in the company retirement plans. (E&E News)

TRANSMISSION

• Three Long Island school districts ask New York state regulators to reject a planned transmission project because the proposal doesn’t include sufficient information about the plan’s likely impact on schools and surrounding communities. (Long Island Press)

STORAGE

• New Jersey regulators release a draft proposal for a virtual power plant program that moves the state toward allowing non-utility companies to aggregate small-scale battery resources to participate in the regional capacity market. (Utility Dive)