New York storm links turbines to thundersnow

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WIND: New York’s record storm this past weekend helped scientists collect new data on how wind turbines can spur lighting in a snowstorm, also known as thundersnow. (Washington Post)

ALSO:
• New York advances a transmission line that will link the Sunrise offshore wind farm with the grid, along with four wind farms upstate. (Utility Dive)
• The federal government opens a comment period for planned offshore wind areas off the central Atlantic coast, including Maryland and Delaware. (News-Times)
• The Norwegian government gives the University of Maine and a Norwegian university $292,000 to develop a joint offshore wind research program. (news release)
• Maine officials, environmental advocates, and maritime industry leaders visit Sears Island as they seek a port to use as an offshore wind staging area. (Maine Public)

EMISSIONS: Pennsylvania Republicans object to regulators’ approval of tighter oil and gas industry emission standards, triggering a comment period that will continue into next year. (Pittsburgh Post-Gazette)

SOLAR: Pennsylvania-based Hershey says its solar development and energy and water optimization projects have sharply reduced its emissions. (Pennsylvania Business Report)

CLIMATE:
• New York’s Climate Action Council has less than a month to finish and approve an emissions reduction plan that will reshape transportation, home heating, and more in the state. (Politico)
• An unusually warm autumn that left Lakes Erie and Ontario toasty while the air cooled down fueled upstate New York’s historic snowstorm this weekend. (Yale Climate Connections)

TRANSPORTATION:
• New Jersey has just 2,008 public electric vehicle chargers, well below the national average per capita, which advocates say slows the state’s emissions reductions. (NJ Spotlight)
• A Bronx, New York, high school is among 13 that received a retired electric vehicle for automotive repair students to practice on. (Bronx Times)
• New Jersey lawmakers resume their fight against New York’s plan to charge congestion fees when drivers enter central Manhattan, including from their state. (NJ Spotlight)

BIOMASS: A wood pellet producer looks to repurpose a former Maine paper mill to produce pellets for export to Europe and Asia. (Lewiston Sun Journal)

GRID: A FirstEnergy subsidiary installs new smart grid technology throughout western Pennsylvania in an attempt to avoid outages. (news release)

BUILDINGS: Vermont nonprofits hold an energy savings fair to help residents learn about weatherization products and programs that could help them stay warm this winter. (Valley News)