Massachusetts’ unique EV-to-grid pilot

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

ELECTRIC VEHICLES

• A Massachusetts pilot program paying EV owners to let utilities tap the power stored in their vehicle batteries could be more successful than similar initiatives elsewhere because it will also provide the expensive bidirectional chargers needed to let electricity flow back to the grid. (Canary Media)

FOSSIL FUELS

• As President Trump revives the conversation about building new natural gas pipelines into the Northeast, the pressure of high energy prices could be softening opposition among the region’s Democratic governors, analysts suggest. (E&E News)

• Demolition at a shuttered Pennsylvania coal-fired power plant begins the process of preparing the site for construction of a new gas-fired plant and leaves many residents nostalgic for a bygone industry. (Trib Live)

OFFSHORE WIND

• A Nantucket-based group asks the EPA to reconsider permits it issued for two pending offshore wind projects, saying the agency did not properly assess the air pollution that could be caused by machinery during construction. (WBUR)

• Following objections from community leaders in New Bedford, a Massachusetts clean energy agency gives up on plans to create a $10 million waterfront facility to promote clean energy innovation, instead reallocating the money to a marine commerce terminal and a plan for clean energy technology grants. (Standard-Times)

ELECTRIFICATION

• A federal judge upholds a New York city ordinance banning the use of natural gas in new construction, a decision that could provide helpful precedent for attempts to scale back new natural gas infrastructure in other states. (S&P Global)

GRID

• New York’s grid operated reliably this winter despite colder-than-average temperatures, but there were some signs that power plants had trouble procuring enough natural gas and had to burn oil instead. (RTO Insider)

CLIMATE

• Vermont will miss its 2025 greenhouse gas reduction target by about 1%, as heating oil use decreases but gas and diesel sales edge up. (WCAX)

TRANSPORTATION

• Maryland, New York, and Pennsylvania are among a coalition of states shifting funds for highways and roads to public transit and bike infrastructure initiatives, as the Trump administration targets Biden-era sustainability spending. (Associated Press)

COMMENTARY

• A bill under consideration in the Maryland state legislature to pre-authorize development of a new transmission line through preserved wild lands would violate state law and set dangerous precedent for future industrialization of undeveloped scenic land, says a concerned resident. (Baltimore Sun)

NEW FROM CANARY MEDIA

• Texas legislators look to upend the state’s competitive energy market with a bill that would boost new gas deployment while penalizing renewables and battery storage, Julian Spector reports.