Mass. lawmakers look to slash efficiency funds

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

• The Massachusetts state House advances an energy affordability bill that aims to save consumers money by slashing funding for energy efficiency programming; opponents say the move ​“would really, absolutely cripple the program.” (Canary Media)

• New York’s state energy research agency finds that the state’s climate laws are infeasible and could, if implemented, cost consumers thousands of dollars in increased energy costs each year. (Gothamist)

• Programs offering no-cost coaching to Maine residents interested in making their homes more energy-efficient expands into new communities and attracts interest from the state. (Maine Public)

LITIGATION

• Environmental groups in Vermont contend in a court filing that the Trump administration’s decision to repeal its own authority to regulate greenhouse gases undermines its argument that states can’t make their own laws regarding these emissions. (E&E News)

HYDROGEN

• Plug Power cancels plans for its long-debated western New York hydrogen plant. (Buffalo Business First)

SOLAR

• Maryland’s Department of Transportation announces plans to spend $50 million to build solar installations at 25 sites across the state. (Mayland Matters)

• Amid a flurry of proposals for solar panels with battery storage in western Massachusetts, tensions rise as some residents support the projects and others worry about the possibility of fires. (Boston Globe)

• Connecticut officials deny an application for a 3-MW solar development in the town of Torrington, which had opposed the proposal. (Hartford Courant)

GRID

• Pennsylvania state senators question the state’s secretary of environmental protection about how her department will encourage more development of power plants to address concerns about reliability and cost. (Pennsylvania Capital-Star)

CLIMATE

• Connecticut is the latest state to introduce a climate ​“superfund” bill that would require fossil fuel companies to pay for damages caused by climate change. (CT Mirror)

UTILITIES

• New Jersey’s Public Service Enterprise Group says its earnings could grow even faster than previously forecast as the state pushes measures to increase community solar, battery storage, and gas-fired power generation. (Utility Dive)

TRANSPORTATION

• Worcester, Massachusetts, is set to roll out 20 new electric school buses in coming weeks. (MassLive)

NEW FROM CANARY

• AI: Does not compute — Amory B. Lovins and Justin Locke

• Global giant Tata Steel is using a heat battery to curb emissions — Maria Gallucci

• Politicians wake up to the data center dilemma — Kathryn Krawczyk