N.H. energy proposal could pit nuclear against solar, wind

CLEAN ENERGY: Climate and clean energy advocates in New Hampshire say a pending proposal to define nuclear power as clean energy could undercut solar and wind power in the state. (Energy News Network)

ALSO: Federal officials issue $3.6 million in rural energy grants to 30 agricultural producers and small businesses in Pennsylvania to help pay for projects like solar installations. (Pennsylvania Capital-Star)

COURTS: Pennsylvania’s governor considers appealing a Commonwealth Court decision blocking him from entering the state into the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative. (Indiana Gazette)

FOSSIL FUELS:

• In New York’s Dutchess County, an apartment building exploded after an excavator struck and ruptured a gas line, leading to 15 injuries. (NBC News)
• Pennsylvania partners with a natural gas producer to monitor and collect data on the air and water pollution stemming from two planned well sites, which the state could use to develop new policy around drilling chemicals and buffer zones. (Associated Press)

UTILITIES: Vermont lawmakers aim to pass legislation in their upcoming legislative session to decarbonize the state’s grid and require utilities to use only renewable power by 2030. (Vermont Public Radio)

OFFSHORE WIND:

• Republican officials in New Jersey and across the country cheer the demise of Ørsted’s two planned offshore wind projects in the state. (E&E News)
• Ørsted says its Skipjack offshore wind project is still being developed, but Delmarva officials voice their thoughts on a potential cancellation in light of the developer’s two canceled New Jersey projects. (WBOC)

SOLAR:

• Dozens of people attend a public hearing on a proposed 80 MW solar farm in western Pennsylvania’s Venango Township to discuss concerns over the project’s potential environmental, noise and visual impact. (Erie Times-News)
• A top New Jersey lawmaker says the state now has the most community solar projects for low-to-moderate-income families in the country. (NJ Biz)
• The energy committee of Ashfeld, Massachusetts, plans a public forum to share ideas about expanding the town’s solar generation. (Greenfield Recorder)

ELECTRIC VEHICLES: The journey of a Beta Technologies’ electric plane down the East Coast provides a glimpse into the future of electric aviation. (New York Times)

EQUITY: Pennsylvania updates its environmental justice policy in a way officials say reduces how many people are labeled as living in an overburdened area but allows the state to better prioritize resource and information distribution. (Spotlight PA)

GEOTHERMAL: Climate officials in Wellesley, Massachusetts, consider applying for a $50,000 grant to study the possibility of developing a communitywide geothermal heating and cooling network. (The Swellesley Report)

CLIMATE: A warm spring and otherwise erratic weather conditions leads some New York apple growers and cider makers to ditch their produce and either buy elsewhere or close shop. (Yale Climate Connections)