Massachusetts advocates: proposed efficiency plan falls short on equity

BUILDINGS: Massachusetts environmental justice advocates say the $5 billion statewide energy efficiency plan that could take effect next year needs to do even more to reach low-income residents, renters, and other populations who have traditionally received fewer benefits. (Energy News Network)

GRID:

• In New York, local moratoriums blocking battery storage projects are hampering the Long Island Power Authority’s 329 MW of deployment plans. (Newsday)

• Connecticut utilities say preparations are underway to prepare for what is projected to be a severe and active Atlantic hurricane season. (Middletown Press)
• In New Hampshire, over 100 solar projects are stuck in the development pipeline waiting for an interconnection study. (NHPR)

TRANSPORTATION:

• New York’s governor claims to be able to unilaterally and indefinitely pause the Manhattan traffic congestion tolling plan if she isn’t canceling it outright, but still has not explained how she will replace the roll funds slated for transportation projects. (Associated Press)
• New York City’s transit agency says the ​“serious implications” of blocking Manhattan traffic tolling plan mean they won’t have funds to do more than focus on basic, urgent needs. (NBC New York, Gothamist)

WIND: Officials from the federal government and the Maryland governor’s office strike a deal to coordinate on offshore wind development in the state. (E&E News, subscription)

HYDROPOWER: The outcome of a contentious relicensing process for four Maine hydroelectric dams hindering an endangered fish’s passage ​“will likely dictate the future of the river for another 50 years,” an expert says. (Bangor Daily News)

ELECTRIC VEHICLES:

• Eversource says it’s pausing its involvement in Connecticut’s electric vehicle infrastructure program as it continues its fight with the state’s utility commission over cost recovery and the overall regulatory environment, despite the threat of notable fines. (Hartford Courant)
• One western Pennsylvania dealership that opened in March says it has already sold dozens of neighborhood electric vehicles, essentially souped-up electric golf carts made street legal six years ago. (Trib Live)
• In Vermont, a Tesla dealership that technically opened in March is only now able to offer all its sales and support services, substantially lessening the effort Tesla owners in New England must make to buy or maintain their vehicles. (Waterbury Roundabout)
• A Vermont agency begins testing public level-two chargers to ensure they’re delivering the amount of power advertised. (WCAX)

POLICY:

• Wealthier Massachusetts municipalities like Natick are more likely to have hired sustainability officers than less affluent communities, but having dedicated staff makes it more likely they will apply for and win federal climate action funds. (Boston Globe)
• Connecticut’s governor isn’t making it sound like climate change will definitely be addressed in a special legislative session later this month, although he isn’t publicly ruling it out. (CT Mirror)

SOLAR:

• New York’s grid operator says the total solar eclipse caused a temporary 80% reduction in solar power generation, and should highlight a need to consider such events in grid planning. (Times Union)
• A solar canopy over a parking lot at Pennsylvania’s Presque Isle State Park will provide all the power needed at the site, saving $30,000 every year. (CBS Pittsburgh)
• A suburban Philadelphia county grants $250,000 to a library to install rooftop solar and parking lot solar canopies, which should cover half the building’s power needs. (Daily Times)
• A New York energy research agency is providing up to $5 million for agrivoltaic demonstration projects. (news release)