Pennsylvania factory ignored gas explosion fears, feds say

FOSSIL FUELS: Federal investigators say a Pennsylvania factory failed to protect its workers when it ignored employee concerns and didn’t evacuate the facility before a fatal gas explosion. (WITF)

ALSO: Pennsylvania utility Columbia Gas has built a test house to experiment with different blends of hydrogen and natural gas to find a usable low-carbon blend, a project the company says isn’t common among its peers. (Trib Live)

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POLICY:

• A New York business advocacy group denies accusations that its new information campaign on the cost of climate action is a delay tactic. (Capital Tonight)
• With their deadline nearing, Rhode Island officials want to change the formulas behind the state’s latest greenhouse gas inventory, saying the adjustment would align it with international standards. (ecoRI)
• Maryland’s governor has yet to fulfill a campaign promise of hiring a climate resilience officer to coordinate climate mitigation measures. (Maryland Matters)
• A New York state agency tasked with creating a renewable energy certificate program for two transmission projects wants another extension to get the job done. (RTO Insider, subscription)

UTILITIES: In Washington, D.C., Pepco agrees to pay $57 million in fines and project costs to clean up years’ worth of intentional releases, spills and leaks of petroleum and other hazardous substances linked to the Anacostia River’s deterioration. (CBS News)

BUILDINGS:

• New York City’s recent policy tweak allowing landlords more time to comply with the city’s carbon reduction strategy for buildings has left both real estate leaders and environmentalists unhappy. (Commercial Observer)
• A new Boston skyscraper is now the largest office space in the world to adhere to Passive House design standards, using 65% less heating and cooling energy than similar structures. (WBUR)

SOLAR:

• A Maryland solar developer finishes construction of a 4 MW solar array on a Superfund site in Woburn, Massachusetts. (Daily Record)
• Residents pack a meeting hall to object to the second iteration of a 19 MW solar array reproposed for a Rhode Island residential area. (Warwick Online)

WIND: Developers behind New Jersey’s first offshore wind farm begin onshore construction activities in Lacey Township. (NJ Advance Media)

CLIMATE: New England’s overly wet summer will likely dull its famed fall foliage this season. (WBUR)