New York denies $12B subsidy request from energy developers

OFFSHORE WIND: New York regulators deny a request by several dozen energy developers for $12 billion in new subsidies for projects already in the pipeline, leading observers to question if the state can hit its climate goals. (New York Times)

ALSO: Ørsted makes a $100 million guarantee with New Jersey regulators that it will build the state’s first offshore wind farm — and have it be operational by the end of 2025. (Associated Press)

ELECTRIC VEHICLES:

• Rhode Island’s governor quietly extended a deadline for the state to have at least 25% of its light-duty vehicles be zero-emission by five additional years, but says his administration isn’t kicking the can down the road. 
• New Jersey regulators grant $1.4 million to NJ Transit to help build out the agency’s electric vehicle charging infrastructure. (news release)

FOSSIL FUELS:

• A coalition of New York business and labor interests sues the state in an attempt to stop a ban on natural gas heating and appliances in new buildings that starts in 2025. (Newsday)
• Maryland fails to stop a Columbia Gas pipeline from being developed on state land via eminent domain after an appeals court decides the state doesn’t have immunity from such lawsuits. (Bloomberg Law, Daily Record)

TRANSIT:

• New Jersey bus riders advocate against fare hikes and service cuts they say would leave them stranded amid the closure of several private operators. (NorthJersey.com)
• The University of Maryland will co-launch a new research center dedicated to an equitable, green transit future with $10 million in federal funds. (Washington Post)
• The transit agency of Washington, D.C., will soon begin offering all-night bus service at 20-minute intervals on over a dozen routes. (DC News Now)

BUILDINGS: A pharmaceuticals company plans to build a net-zero life sciences building in Boston’s Seaport neighborhood, complete with a tight building envelope and rooftop solar. (The Architect’s Newspaper)

CLIMATE: Maine’s Cobbossee Watershed sees its native plants crowded out by two invasive aquatic plants that are able to find a stronger foothold because of changing climate conditions. (Maine Public Radio)