Republicans try to block Connecticut phase out of gas-powered cars

ELECTRIC VEHICLES: Connecticut Republicans try to block proposed state regulations to phase out the sale of gas-powered vehicles between 2027 and 2035. (CT Mirror)

ALSO:

• A federal agency approves New York’s plan outlining how it will use federal electric vehicle infrastructure funds, opening the door to roughly $37 million in new buildout funds. (news release)
• Using federal funds, National Grid and partners will conduct a two-year study of electric trucking in the Northeast to map out 100 potential charging sites. (Utility Dive)
• A Philadelphia-area aerospace expert discusses the demand for and practicality of using solar, batteries and hydrogen in helicopters, and how those technologies could become a major industry in the city. (Philadelphia Inquirer)

SOLAR:

• Vermont utility regulators will decide if the proximity and relationship of one planned 2.2 MW solar array to another mean the facilities should be considered one project and subject to a state generation cap. (Bennington Banner)
• New England observers discuss the default option of landfilling most solar panels, the benefits of reusing them and current projects using repurposed panels. (Boston Globe)
• Although a recent report ranked Pennsylvania nearly dead last among states’ renewable development efforts, a state bill to help schools install solar could help turn that trend around. (StateImpact PA)
• A well-known Vermont brewery says it’s now completely powering its operations with solar power. (news release)

GRID: The Massachusetts Institute of Technology files a late objection to Eversource’s planned underground substation in Cambridge, citing proposed cable routes. (Cambridge Day)

CLIMATE:

• Several New Jersey shore towns saw significant erosion following intense storms this summer, reviving debate over whether beach replenishment funds would be better spent on other adaptation and mitigation projects — even as some state officials suggest some of the problem is self-inflicted. (NJ Advance Media)
• A Maine Audubon spokesperson calls climate change the biggest threat to the state’s wildlife and habitats but emphasizes that renewable energy projects must minimize environmental impacts. (News Center Maine)

UTILITIES:

• In Maine, supporters of a public power authority look to Nebraska for lessons from and results of developing a similar utility structure there almost a century ago. (Maine Public Radio)
• Rhode Island regulators allow the town of Bristol to form its own community aggregation program and separate its power supply from Rhode Island Energy. (ecoRI)

GAS: Some Philadelphians band together to encourage local lawmakers to pass a ban on gas-powered lawn equipment, like leaf blowers, citing climate, health and noise concerns. (WHYY)

CRYPTOMINING: A Pennsylvania lawmaker strikes a proposed moratorium out of legislation he introduced to regulate the cryptomining industry’s energy demand, saying labor-minded Democrats wouldn’t have voted for it. (Pennsylvania Capital-Star)

COMMENTARY: Two leaders of a Rhode Island community development organization write that the state’s transit agency isn’t broken but it needs to be properly funded to be more effective. (Rhode Island Current)