New Hampshire bill would empty renewable energy fund

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LEGISLATION

• Provisions tucked inside a sprawling budget bill in New Hampshire would redirect money from the state’s renewable energy fund, first into the general fund and then into rebates for utility customers. (Canary Media)

• An energy affordability bill introduced by Massachusetts Gov. Maura Healey includes provisions that would reduce net metering compensation for community and commercial solar projects, and pave the way for the development of small modular nuclear plants. (Solar Power World, WBZ)

• Massachusetts legislators consider a pair of bills that would delay implementation of rules requiring that a certain percentage of all new cars automakers sell in the state be electric. (Boston Herald)

• The Pennsylvania House approves a bill overhauling a tax credit program intended to attract energy businesses to the state. (Pittsburgh Post-Gazette)

OFFSHORE WIND

• The University of Maine lays off nine employees — including engineers, scientists and technicians — from its offshore wind research center, a month after the Trump administration suspended $15.8 million in funding to the program. (Bangor Daily News)

• U.S. Wind, which holds the rights to a fully permitted offshore wind project off Maryland, offers $20 million in funding to support commercial fishermen in Maryland and Delaware. (Delmarva Now)

• Protestors in Bangor, Maine, rally outside a meeting about the benefits of offshore wind to oppose plans to build an offshore wind hub on the largely undeveloped Sears Island. (WABI)

NATURAL GAS

• Maine regulators launch an inquiry examining how to incorporate climate impacts into their decisions involving natural gas infrastructure and contracts, and looking at how the state’s emissions reduction goals will affect natural gas utilities. (Maine Public)

AFFORDABILITY

• New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy introduces a plan to rein in power prices ahead of a June 1 rate hike, with measures including new solar solicitations and a request for utilities to voluntarily extend their commitment not to disconnect customers for nonpayment through the summer. (New Jersey Business Magazine)

SOLAR

• Connecticut launches a new online map showing critical protected habitats, grid capacity data, soil types, and other information to help solar developers determine whether a site is appropriate for a large-scale project. (PV Magazine)

• More than 1,100 area residents oppose the expansion of a solar installation on farmland in East Windsor, Connecticut, saying the project would compromise their ​“rural identity, scenic views, and peaceful neighborhoods.” (Hartford Courant)

CRYPTO

• The New Hampshire House passes a bill prohibiting state agencies and local officials from regulating cryptocurrency mining operations, a proposal that worries environmental advocates who point to the operations’ enormous energy use and consumption of fresh water. (New Hampshire Bulletin)

ELECTRIFICATION

• Time-of-use rates that charge users more for electricity used at times of peak demand could save Massachusetts households that adopt heat pumps as much as 9% on their power bills, a new study concludes. (RTO Insider)

COMMENTARY

• Power outages caused by recent storms in Pennsylvania highlight the need for solar panels and battery storage in public housing — and the importance of protecting the federal tax credits that make these projects more affordable, say a public housing tenant and a decarbonization advocate. (TribLive)