No data center ban for Maine

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.

DATA CENTERS

• Maine Gov. Janet Mills vetoes what would have been the first statewide data center moratorium, saying it would have stopped a widely supported project already under development. (Maine Morning Star)

• The Delaware state Senate advances a bill that would allow the state’s main electric utility to reject data centers’ requests to connect to the grid. (Spotlight Delaware)

FEDERAL ACTION

• Another energy company is aiming to get a refund from the Trump administration in exchange for abandoning offshore wind leases, despite ongoing questions about the legality of such payments. (Canary Media)

• The Trump administration sues a New Jersey township, saying its ban on fossil fuel infrastructure in some new construction is part of ​“radical left” effort to ​“devastate Americans” by raising costs. (northjersey.com)

AFFORDABILITY

• The chair of Massachusetts’ Senate energy committee signals he will oppose the House-approved plan to cut $1 billion from energy efficiency spending as part of a sprawling affordability bill. (CommonWealth Beacon)

• A Maryland utility scales back its requested rate increase after the passage of an energy affordability bill that blocks companies from basing prices on projected spending. (WYPR)

UTILITIES

• New York state utilities argue that they should be allowed to own renewable power generation, while power plant owners say such a change would ​“distort the market” and hurt consumers. (E&E News)

OFFSHORE WIND

• Nantucket seeks public comment on Vineyard Wind’s draft incident response plan, which the wind developer released as part of an agreement signed after a turbine blade fell off, leading to debris on nearby beaches. (Nantucket Current)

NUCLEAR

• New Hampshire lawmakers reject a bill that would have allowed utilities to build and own advanced nuclear reactors. (New Hampshire Bulletin)

GEOTHERMAL

• On the Yale University campus, drilling is underway on 263 geothermal wells that will help the school move towards its goal of reading zero emissions by 2050. (Yale Daily News)

RENEWABLES

• New York state announces its latest regular solicitation for renewable energy, focusing this time on projects that will be eligible for expiring federal tax credits. (news release)

• Residents of Concord, Massachusetts, will vote on whether municipal facilities should be required to have rooftop solar panels. (Concord Bridge)

NEW FROM CANARY

• Trump is blocking solar for farmers. Can the Farm Bill fix that? — Kari Lydersen

• Fossil fuel promoters tied to campaign to keep Ohio county renewable ban — Kathiann M. Kowalski

• Another offshore wind firm is seeking a payout as Trump stifles sector — Maria Gallucci

• Solar power soared last year — and it’s not slowing down — Kathryn Krawczyk