Pennsylvania county that rode the fracking wave is now broke 

FRACKING: A Pennsylvania county that rode a wave of prosperity from fees paid by the fracking industry over the past decade is nearly broke after failing to keep money in reserve. (PA Spotlight)

ALSO: Groups representing Pennsylvania families who have lost members to a rare cancer want a state study of the health effects of oil and gas extraction expanded to include fracking waste. (StateImpact Pennsylvania)

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SOLAR:
• Massachusetts legislators file bills to require solar panels on new residential and commercial buildings. (ecoRI)
• Residents of a Maine town will vote this week on a moratorium on solar development that would stop a proposed 55-acre site. (CentralMaine.com)

EFFICIENCY: A Massachusetts poll suggests broad support for home energy upgrades although weaning the state off oil heating could be a challenge. (CommonWealth Magazine)

TRANSPORTATION: Advocates say phasing out gas-powered cars by 2035 is an attainable goal as electric vehicles gain wider acceptance with proper policies in place. (ecoRI)

POWER PLANTS: The owner of a Pennsylvania coal-fired power plant slated for closure agrees to preserve an adjacent park and lake that were created to supply water for the plant’s cooling towers. (StateImpact Pennsylvania)

ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE:
• Pittsburgh environmental justice advocates hope a new federal emphasis will lead to more effective action at the local and state level. (Pittsburgh Post-Gazette)
• Proposed legislation in Maryland would reform a state environmental justice commission to require it to be active and representative of the communities it is intended to serve. (E&E News, subscription required) 

WIND: A local official in New York questions the state’s move to fast-track clean energy projects and cites an inactive wind farm as an example of improper due diligence during its permitting phase. (Post-Journal)

POLLUTION: A federal appeals court rejects New Jersey’s challenge to a rule that regulates industry tracking of pollution from power plants. (E&E News, subscription required)

COMMENTARY:
• A Maryland state representative says ​“talk is cheap” in the case of a county that declares a climate emergency and then promptly amends a solar law to make projects unfeasible. (Washington Post)
• An editorial board says a ban on fracking in some Pennsylvania areas is a first step that should be followed by other actions that protect residents from the practice’s health effects. (Philadelphia Inquirer)