Massachusetts warns gas utilities to plan for carbon-free future

NATURAL GAS: Massachusetts regulators order the state’s natural gas utilities to find ways to decarbonize by 2050. (S&P Global)

ALSO:
• An analysis finds that a proposed natural gas pipeline extension in Maryland runs primarily through low-income communities of color. (Maryland Matters)
• New Jersey regulators approve a utility’s $150 million systems upgrade plan, but the costs to ratepayers will be delayed. (Asbury Park Press)

WIND: Maryland joins a compact with Virginia and North Carolina to advance offshore wind, but the state’s industry is moving at a slower pace than its neighbors. (Maryland Matters)

CLIMATE:
• A federal appeals court rejects oil companies’ efforts to have a Rhode Island climate lawsuit heard in federal court. (Reuters)
• Pennsylvania farmers say they’re already seeing the impacts of climate change and want political leaders to pay more attention. (StateImpact Pennsylvania)
• Officials in Kennebunkport, Maine, consider ​“low-hanging fruit” measures to address climate change. (Portsmouth Herald)

POLITICS:
• Some New Hampshire Republicans say President Trump’s climate change denial makes it more difficult for them to connect with voters on the issue. (New Hampshire Public Radio)
• Trump officials make multiple visits to Pennsylvania to tout the state’s natural gas industry ahead of Tuesday’s election, while a public affairs researcher warns that voters are more concerned about COVID-19. (S&P Global)

SOLAR: Georgetown University announces an agreement to get more than two-thirds of its electricity from solar starting next month. (Washington Post)

CLEAN ENERGY: While Pennsylvania’s natural gas industry is dominating political narratives, the state’s clean-energy entrepreneurs are preparing for sustained growth. (Wall Street Journal, subscription)

UTILITIES:
• Connecticut regulators will meet today to consider extending a moratorium on utility shut-offs. (CT Mirror)
• Baltimore lawmakers warn that Maryland’s system to help connect ratepayers with utility assistance funds is understaffed and difficult to navigate. (Baltimore Sun)

TRANSPORTATION: New electric tour boats at Niagara Falls could become part of a growing trend as the tourism industry seeks to cut emissions. (Washington Post)

COAL: A Pennsylvania coal slurry refinery is among four recipients sharing $80 million in federal carbon capture funds. (Observer-Reporter)

COMMENTARY: An editorial says Pennsylvanians should disregard the political debate over fracking, noting the president has little power to impact the industry. (York Dispatch)