PA Republicans lose fracking ban lawsuit against regional regulator

FOSSIL FUELS: An appeals court sides with the Delaware River Basin Commission and its fracking ban in some parts of Pennsylvania in a court case brought by Republican state legislators looking to overturn it. (StateImpact Pennsylvania)

ELECTRIC VEHICLES:
• A battery-powered light aircraft took off last week for a five-minute flight, the first such journey in Connecticut. (Hartford Courant)
• A child dies after an electric mobility device’s lithium-ion battery causes a fire in an apartment fire in New York City (NBC New York)

AFFORDABILITY:
• New legislation will allow New Hampshire residents to potentially seek several hundred dollars worth of power and fuel funds if they make between 60-75% of the state’s median income. (NHPR)
• Some ratepayers fear an increase in homelessness if Rhode Island Energy is granted its power bill rate hike request of almost 50%. (Boston Globe)

PIPELINES: In Pennsylvania, a Catholic order is seeking damages stemming from Transco’s development of its Atlantic Sunrise gas pipeline on their land, claiming a violation of their religious and environmental beliefs. (StateImpact Pennsylvania)

TRANSPORTATION:
• In New York City, some Bronx residents fear traffic will increase in their communities if the city’s congestion pricing plan goes into effect without any mitigation measures or incentives. (Gothamist)
• Some residents of New York City’s Queens borough are frustrated that the mayor is pushing for the creation of an aboveground park along an abandoned railroad right-of-way instead of developing the space for transit use. (Streetsblog NYC)
• After nearly half a century of effort, passenger train service returns to northern New York’s Tupper Lake, an economically declining town hoping to see a rebound. (NNY360)

UTILITIES:
• Pennsylvania regulators issue a $1 million fine to a renewable energy supply for thousands of marketing violations and creating accounts for customers without their knowledge. (Philadelphia Inquirer)
• A New York assembly member wants the legislature to have the last say on utility rate increases after the state regulator gives its approval. (NY1)
• Although the state utility regulator still needs to weigh in, a New Hampshire legislative committee approves rules to shape community power programs. (NHPR)
• The electric department of Burlington, Vermont, hosts a net-zero festival to teach residents about electric and battery powered equipment. (WCAX)

SOLAR: A northern New York town board unanimously approves a 5 MW solar array and a 20 MW battery storage facility, one of a number of planned projects in the immediate area. (NNY360)

CLIMATE:
• A fight on Nantucket Island over how some residents are protecting their homes from erosion and rising sea levels highlights communities’ differing views about addressing climate change. (New York Times)
• A Central Maine Power rate hike request shows how the climate crisis will come at a cost, with much of the proposal stemming from decarbonization, grid upgrade and storm resiliency projects. (Portland Press Herald)
• University of Maine researchers discover a cheaper, more efficient method to cultivate and capture carbon in kelp. (Maine Monitor)