Massachusetts towns can now ban oil, gas hookups

FOSSIL FUELS: Massachusetts officially allows seven municipalities to test banning oil and gas hookups in most construction and notable renovation projects. (Boston Globe)

UTILITIES: Connecticut utility regulators form a program to financially help eligible groups — like environmental justice communities or small businesses — participate in public utility proceedings. (CT News Junkie)

WIND: Maine lawmakers consider how to ease the process for getting a major wind farm off the ground in rural Aroostook County now that utility regulators are seeking to rebid the project. (Bangor Daily News)

GRID:

• Pennsylvania utility PPL Electric says that grid upgrades and vegetation management have helped reduce outages by 30% since 2011. (Lehigh Valley News)
• Construction is slated to start this spring on one of New England’s biggest battery storage projects, a 175 MW operation in Gorham, Maine. (Maine Monitor)

SOLAR:

• A New York solar company is accused of union busting after it put 40% of its workers on furlough for over a year not long after they voted to unionize over poor working conditions. (The Guardian)
• A podcast examines the concerns with rural solar arrays in agricultural Copake, New York, where a 60 MW array is under development amid community concerns. (Reveal)
• New York energy siting regulators will soon seek public comment over EDF Renewables’ newly completed application for the 240 MW Rich Road solar farm. (NNY360, developers’ website)
• The board of Shaftsbury, Vermont, mulls a proposed ordinance to require screens to keep solar farms out of view. (Bennington Banner)

ELECTRIC VEHICLES: Philadelphia’s municipal vehicle fleet reached 250 electric models in 2023, but thousands more city vehicles still run on gasoline. (WHYY)

BUILDINGS: Although more extreme weather events are hitting Maine, only 1% of homeowners have flood insurance. (Portland Press Herald)

POLICY:

• Pittsburgh, a former capital of steelmaking and industry, has become a ​“poster child” of climate action and consciousness. (Inside Climate News)
• Vermont’s top state senator says climate resiliency and flood recovery are top-of-mind concerns during this year’s legislative session. (E&E News, subscription)