New York sued for climate program delays

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LITIGATION

• Four environmental and climate justice groups sue the state of New York for its failure to advance a promised cap-and-invest program to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. (New York Focus)

• Property owners and trade groups sue a Maryland county arguing that a law requiring large buildings to reduce their energy consumption is preempted by federal rules. (Maryland Daily Record)

OFFSHORE WIND

• Utility companies and officials in Massachusetts and Rhode Island point to uncertainty in federal offshore wind policy as they announce another delay in finalizing contracts to purchase power from the SouthCoast Wind project. (Rhode Island Current)

• An offshore wind developer asks New Jersey regulators for a one-year extension to its deadline for making $37.3 million in payments as part of its preliminary approval process. (Press of Atlantic City)

EQUITY

• A Maine lawmaker introduces a bill that would require the state climate council to include measures aimed at reducing residents’ energy burden in its annual reports, saying it is a ​“moral imperative” to address poverty alongside climate change. (Maine Morning Star)

GRID

• New Hampshire lawmakers consider a bill that would launch an investigation into the possible costs, benefits, and logistics of withdrawing from regional grid operator ISO New England. (NHPR)

CLIMATE TECH

• As Massachusetts attempts to grow its climate tech sector in coming years, the Trump administration’s attitude toward clean energy and climate change won’t pose an ​“existential threat” but will create challenges, industry insiders say. (MassLive)

UTILITIES

• After months of failing to bill some customers on a monthly basis, National Grid will have to waive charges more than 60 days old, Massachusetts regulators rule; in a separate incident, the state also fines National Grid $15 million for ​“service quality failures.” (NBC10 Boston)

STORAGE

• A lithium battery recycling company that last year received a $475 million federal loan to build a factory in New York announces it could go out of business and doesn’t have enough money to meet the requirements needed to access the loan. (E&E News)

ELECTRIC VEHICLES

• A New York-based e-bike company fraudulently claimed its equipment had been certified for safety, according to a lawsuit filed by certification organization UL Solutions. (Streetsblog)

NEW FROM CANARY MEDIA

• Environmental justice advocates are pushing Illinois to adopt California’s Advanced Clean Trucks standards even as the Trump administration looks to dismantle them, Kari Lydersen reports.

• Revel’s new EV charging station in San Francisco utilizes PG&E’s ​“flexible connection” approach to ease grid demand when several chargers are being used at once, Jeff St. John reports.