Pennsylvania’s largest coal plant considers partial shutdown

COAL: Pennsylvania’s largest coal-fired power plant may deactivate some units by May 2023, but a decision won’t be made until April; factors include coal prices and whether the state enters the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative. (Pittsburgh Business Times)

ALSO: A television station’s investigation finds that four years after Pennsylvania officials announced $3 million in grants to retrain laid-off coal workers, not a single worker has been able to participate. (WTAE)

TRANSPORTATION:
• Rhode Island advocates say the state isn’t ensuring that federal infrastructure funding will be used in a way that cuts emissions. (ecoRI)
• Federal infrastructure funds are supporting the construction of a new bus maintenance facility that will be the first to service up to 120 of the Boston transit agency’s electric buses. (Boston Herald)

CLIMATE:
• Michael Regan, the U.S. EPA’s administrator, warns that Maine’s aging coastal infrastructure is vulnerable to rising sea levels stemming from the climate crisis. (Bangor Daily News)
• With updates to a forty-year-old Maine bird guide underway, early survey results show global warming and other factors have changed the types of birds living in the state. (Maine Public Radio)

UTILITIES:
• Maine’s utility regulator will decide this Thursday whether to take on a major investigation of how Central Maine Power’s parent companies manage the utility. (Spectrum News)
• Connecticut’s utility regulator examines whether the state’s investor-owned utilities are using too many outside contractors instead of hiring more internal staff. (The Hour)

SOLAR: A northern New York planning board rejects a proposal for a 4.4 MW solar array that would’ve been partially built on prime farmland. (NNY360)

EFFICIENCY: New York City public housing officials kick off a small pilot program through which some residents will receive induction stoves to improve their inside air quality. (The City)

WIND: Three New Hampshire agencies release a report highlighting the challenges and opportunities that the offshore wind energy industry offers the state. (New Hampshire Public Radio)

GEOTHERMAL: The chief executive of a geothermal heat pump installation company that recently expanded into Connecticut discusses its growth potential in a state with many fossil fuel-heated homes. (Hartford Business Journal)

BIOENERGY: A large anaerobic digester project planned for central New Jersey has received all of its permits. (MyCentralJersey.com)

GAS: The increase in natural gas supply costs has left one New York family with a nearly $1,000 electric bill, more than double what they normally pay for a winter month. (WHEC)

COMMENTARY: The head of the New York League of Conservation Voters explains why the state needs to allow direct vehicle sales to meet its transportation emissions goals. (Newsday)