Pennsylvania fracking waste leads to toxic landfill discharge

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FOSSIL FUELS

• Waste from oil and natural gas operations is contributing to highly toxic and even radioactive wastewater coming from Pennsylvania landfills, a problem that could get worse as the Trump administration pushes for greater fossil fuel production. (Inside Climate News)

• A federal decision allowing grid operator PJM to fast-track 50 power generation projects, many gas-fired, sparks backlash among environmental and community advocates, who say the ruling sidelines renewable energy developments without offering meaningful reliability benefits. (Inside Climate News)

• A federal order directing the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to speed up fossil fuel infrastructure development could pose a serious risk to Pennsylvania’s wetlands, according to an environmental watchdog group. (Inside Climate News)

CLEAN ENERGY

• The elimination of federal clean energy tax credits could increase electricity bills in Maine 17% over the next 15 years and reduce investment in renewable energy projects in the state by $100 million per year, a new report finds. (Portland Press Herald)

TRANSPORTATION

• The Trump administration has begun the process of attempting to revoke California’s authority to set its own vehicle emissions standards, which Massachusetts and several other Northeast states have also adopted. (CommonWealth Beacon)

• In a private meeting with Trump, New York Gov. Kathy Hochul makes the case for keeping congestion pricing in Manhattan, but predicts the case will end up being decided by the courts. At the same time, the system is winning over some Staten Island commuters whose trips to work have gotten faster and smoother. (Associated Press, Gothamist)

EFFICIENCY

• New York state has yet to update its building codes to reflect a two-year-old state law calling for new construction to be all-electric, adding to ongoing concerns that Gov. Hochul is delaying needed climate action. (New York Focus)

SOLAR

• Maine moves closer to implementing rules that would require solar developers to pay for impacts to high-value agricultural land, as the state deals with ongoing loss of farmland. (Maine Monitor)

NUCLEAR

• Connecticut Gov. Ned Lamont wants to encourage the development of more data centers in the state – and the nuclear energy to power them. (CT Mirror)

OFFSHORE WIND

• None of the 50 jobs eliminated by Vineyard Wind’s parent company are positions in the operations center on Martha’s Vineyard. (Vineyard Gazette)

COMMENTARY

• New York City should consider incentives, zoning changes, and public-private partnerships to retrofit its large inventory of aging housing – an effort that would reduce energy use, make buildings more climate resilient, and create jobs, says a commercial real estate adviser. (City Limits)