Massachusetts regulators OK efficiency program — with cuts

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

EFFICIENCY

• Massachusetts regulators approve the state’s three-year energy efficiency plan, but send planners back to the drawing board to figure out how to slash $500 million from the budget to reduce the impact on customers’ bills. (WBUR)

• New Hampshire Gov. Kelly Ayotte signs a bill creating a new financing program that will help developers and commercial property owners complete energy efficiency and renewable energy projects. (Boston Globe)

TARIFFS

• Consumers in New England – where significant proportions of petroleum, heating oil, and electricity are imported from Canada – are likely to quickly feel the financial impact of Trump’s energy tariffs, slated to take effect tomorrow. (Boston Globe)

OFFSHORE WIND

• Vineyard Wind heads toward completion later this year, and project partner Iberdrola has a second development in the works, as a company executive expresses confidence in the future of its offshore wind investments. (E&E News)

ELECTRIFICATION

• New York gets one step closer to becoming the first state to essentially ban fossil fuel use in new buildings as the state building code council approves draft rules requiring most new buildings to be fully electrified starting in 2026. (New York Focus)

• A senior housing development in Brooklyn is the first to take advantage of a new city program that fast-tracks approvals for all-electric housing projects. (The City)

CLIMATE

• Rhode Island lawmakers consider a bill that would make fossil fuel companies pay for damages caused by climate change, even as similar measures face legal challenges in New York and Vermont. (Providence Journal)

EMISSIONS

• The prevalence of 19th-century steam heating systems could be a major obstacle to New York City’s goal of reducing building emissions to net-zero by 2050. (Inside Climate News)

• Vermont likely did not meet its first deadline for reducing greenhouse gas emissions, according to a new report analyzing emissions from heat and transportation. (Vermont Public)

• City councilors in New York consider a measure that would target emissions from large warehouses and freight vehicles serving such sites. (Gothamist)

SOLAR

• Farmers and elected officials object to a Maryland bill that would give the state final approval over solar siting decisions, expressing concern that the measure would be damaging to local agriculture. (WBOC)

• Maine communities debate how much solar development they want to see in their towns, as the desire to save money and cut emissions butts up against concerns about preserving landscape and character. (Bangor Daily News)

ELECTRIC VEHICLES

• The Massachusetts Clean Energy Center launches a vehicle-to-grid pilot program, offering 100 EV owners compensation and free bidirectional chargers as it tests the use of vehicle batteries for backup power and grid flexibility. (PV Magazine)

• The same agency introduces a program aimed at improving charging options for rideshare and taxi drivers, as well as medium- and heavy-duty fleets, including mobile chargers and financial and technical assistance. (PV Magazine)

COMMENTARY

• The planned reopening of the nuclear power plant at Three Mile Island is an example of how to meet the growing power demand from data centers without increasing greenhouse gas emissions, says a nuclear advocate and former EPA administrator. (PennLive)