Massachusetts plans $180 million in temporary bill relief

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

• Massachusetts Gov. Maura Healey announces plans to reduce February and March electric bills by 25% and gas bills by 10% for customers of the state’s major utilities, though some of those savings will have to be paid back in warmer months. (WBUR)

• Members of the Massachusetts state House say they have limited tools at their disposal to make a meaningful difference to soaring utility bills, but have agreed not to alter the state’s 2030 emissions reduction targets. (NBC Boston)

• New Jersey’s new governor, Mikie Sherrill, signs orders aimed at lowering energy costs by boosting solar and battery capacity and laying the groundwork for more virtual power plants. (E&E News)

OFFSHORE WIND

• Work is back underway at offshore wind farms off New York, Rhode Island, and Virginia, nearly a month after the Trump administration ordered them to pause construction. (Canary Media)

• The Trump administration has yet to reveal any details of the ​“national security” concerns it cited to justify its stop-work order. (NPR)

NUCLEAR

• Vermont Gov. Phil Scott (R) throws his support behind a bill that would turn the state’s renewable energy standard into a clean energy standard that includes nuclear power, and remove the power of lawmakers to approve or deny new nuclear plants. (VTDigger)

• Public utility regulators in New York vote to extend 10-year-old subsidies that will allow the state’s four nuclear plants to continue operations. (Times Union)

CLIMATE

• Maryland Gov. Wes Moore (D) proposes a 2027 budget with a record $306 million for renewable and clean energy programs, but climate advocates worry about his plans to transfer money from a clean-energy fund to balance the general budget. (Inside Climate News)

• U.S. Senator Sheldon Whitehouse, a Rhode Island Democrat, challenges members of his party who are no longer speaking out on climate change, saying people who want to avoid the issue ​“are wrong about pretty much everything.” (E&E News)

TRANSMISSION

• Grid operator PJM considers whether to approve construction of a $1.7-billion transmission line across central Pennsylvania amid uncertainties about the impact growing data center load will have on power prices. (Utility Dive)

DATA CENTERS

• Consumer advocates in Pennsylvania urge lawmakers to impose a tax on data centers to help lower residents’ rising energy bills. (WESA)

SOLAR

• New York could realize $1 billion in annual energy benefits by increasing its solar target to 20 GW by 2035, according to a new report from Synapse Energy Economics. (PV Magazine)