New York escalates pipeline opposition

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

NATURAL GAS

• New York state asks federal regulators to dismiss developer Williams Cos.’ request for a certificate that would allow it to move ahead with plans for a natural gas pipeline from Pennsylvania to New York. (E&E News)

• The U.S. Department of Energy extends an order keeping Pennsylvania’s Eddystone power plant in operation through May 24, nearly a year after it was originally intended to retire. (RTO Insider)

• Plans to improve and expand a natural gas pipeline that runs through Rhode Island has residents and environmental advocates concerned that the project runs counter to the state’s goal of lowering greenhouse gas emissions. (ecoRI)

LITIGATION

• The Supreme Court agrees to hear a case about whether states have the right to hold fossil fuel companies accountable for damages caused by climate change, a decision that could affect legal efforts in New Jersey. (Associated Press)

INDUSTRY

• Massachusetts-based green steel maker Boston Metals cuts 71 jobs after an industrial accident at its facility in Brazil caused it to lose access to anticipated capital. (Canary Media)

STORAGE

• Massachusetts’ Form Energy, which makes batteries using a novel iron-air technology, announces an agreement to build a 30 gigawatt-hour storage facility to help power a Google data center. (Canary Media)

AFFORDABILITY

• Maryland Gov. Wes Moore’s energy affordability bill — which includes measures to accelerate solar development, return money to utility customers, and modernize grid infrastructure — gets its first hearing in the state legislature. (WYPR)

DATA CENTERS

• State legislators in both Maine and Vermont are considering bills that would impose a moratorium on data center development to allow the state a chance to evaluate policy options. (Daily Yonder, VTDigger)

SOLAR

• Three agrivoltaics projects totalling 13 MW in capacity come online in New York and Vermont, creating both a new source of power and grazing land for sheep. (FingerLakes1)

UTILITIES

• New Jersey utility regulators agree to hire a consultant to consider redesigning the business model for the state’s utilities, as new governor Mikie Sherrill continues her efforts to improve energy affordability. (Utility Dive)

ELECTRIFICATION

• Heat pump adoption in Vermont is set to be slower than previous projections indicated thanks to the end of federal tax incentives, aging housing stock, and inefficient use of the equipment, a new report finds. (VTDigger)