Massachusetts gains — and then loses — access to clean energy funds

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

FUNDING FREEZE

• Massachusetts state agencies regained access to some federal funds on Monday, but were locked out again by the evening, heightening the uncertainty about the future of several clean energy, environmental, and public health programs in the state. (WBUR)

• Maine’s state energy efficiency rebates are not compromised by Trump’s attempts to freeze federal funding, but future incentives the state hoped to add could be at risk, says the head of the state’s efficiency programs. (WMTW)

CLIMATE

• Climate advocates say New York Gov. Kathy Hochul is not implementing a mandated cap-and-invest program quickly or seriously enough, while the governor argues affordability is a more pressing issue for the state. (The City)

• The Pennsylvania Senate votes to withdraw the state from the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative, arguing that the program is a tax on electricity that drives power generators away from the state; the bill now heads to the state House. (ABC27)

OFFSHORE WIND

Longshoremen in the Massachusetts port of New Bedford are still finding jobs serving offshore wind construction, despite President Trump’s ongoing efforts to undermine the industry. (WPRI)

ENERGY PRICES

• Environmental advocates in Connecticut defend the public benefits charge utilities include on customer bills, saying the money helps support renewable energy and energy efficiency programs as well as projects to strengthen the grid. (WSHU)

• Facing high electricity prices, Connecticut officials look at the possibility of getting an exemption from a 100-year-old shipping law that drives up the cost of delivering liquefied natural gas to U.S. ports. (Hartford Business Journal)

TRANSPORTATION

Hochul is reportedly in talks with Trump to negotiate the future of New York City congestion pricing, a plan that charges drivers to enter Manhattan’s central business district and has shown success in reducing traffic in the area. (Politico)

ELECTRIFICATION

Electrifying 80% of the homes in New England and improving their energy efficiency could reduce the combined cost of gas and electricity in the region by as much as 29%, according to a new study from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. (RTO Insider, subscription)

STORAGE

• Staten Island officials and unhappy residents object to plans for more than a dozen battery storage facilities in the borough, citing concerns about fires and saying the community is bearing a disproportionate share of infrastructure burdens for the city. (SILive.com)

• A group of municipal utilities in Massachusetts make $10 million selling tax credits generated by four utility-scale battery storage projects, part of a larger plan to install 50 MW of storage capacity. (PV magazine)

ELECTRIC VEHICLES

• New York City is slated to get 267 new EV fast chargers over the next two years, supported by a $60 million loan from the NY Green Bank, the state’s energy investment fund. (Gothamist)

• Hochul suggests she is considering extending the deadline for school districts to start switching to electric school buses amid complaints that the current timeline is unfeasible. (LocalSyr.com)