Massachusetts looks to Canada for offshore wind

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OFFSHORE WIND

• Massachusetts officials consider buying power from planned offshore wind developments in Canada as they face a legal mandate to procure 5,600 MW of offshore wind by 2027. (CommonWealth Beacon)

• An elected official in Nantucket hints that the town is considering a future lawsuit against the Vineyard Wind offshore wind development: ​“We’re not done with Vineyard Wind.” (Nantucket Current)

SOLAR

• New Hampshire all but empties its renewable energy fund, making it unlikely that the state will be able to proceed with plans to expand a popular municipal solar grant program. (Canary Media)

• A new solar canopy project in a Pennsylvania park puts the state’s total solar capacity over 2 GW, putting it on track to reach its goal of getting 10% of its electricity from in-state solar by 2030. (ABC27)

• New York City’s first community-owned solar development — a 725-kilowatt array in Brooklyn — will provide power to 200 local households and generate revenue that will be used to support future solar projects in the area. (Brooklyn Paper)

FOSSIL FUELS

• New York releases a draft state energy plan that outlines a continued reliance on fossil fuels. (E&E News)

• A coal terminal in Baltimore is a significant contributor to air pollution in the neighboring community, which is also home to industrial operations and heavy diesel traffic, a new study finds. (Baltimore Sun)

AFFORDABILITY

• Some 67 million consumers in the territory of grid operator PJM — which includes Delaware, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania — will see even higher prices for electricity as of next June after the region’s capacity auction hit record high prices for a second year in a row. (WHYY)

• A Rhode Island utility plans to lower winter electricity rates 9% from last year, and lays plans to provide up to $80 in monthly bill credits to consumers. (WPRI)

INDUSTRY

• Advocacy groups and elected officials urge New York not to extend Tesla’s lease on a Buffalo facility where it was supposed to manufacture solar modules and create more than 1,400 jobs, but has instead largely conducted low-paying data analysis work to train self-driving cars. (WKBW)

EMISSIONS

• Vermont is not on track to reach its legally mandated target of reducing greenhouse gas emissions 80% by 2050, according to a new report from the state. (VTDigger)

COMMENTARY

• Connecticut Gov. Ned Lamont should stop championing natural gas as part of a ​“green and clean” future, as the fuel poses a multitude of risks to the climate and public health, says an environmental advocate. (Hartford Courant)

NEW FROM CANARY 

• Trump’s EPA delays rules requiring toxic coal ash cleanup — Kari Lydersen

• Can cutting rooftop solar costs make up for losing tax credits? — Jeff St. John

• In Ohio, oil and gas industry is steering new carbon capture bill — Kathiann M. Kowalski