States push back on Trump’s climate ​“overreach” order

CLIMATE

• Massachusetts legal experts predict the Trump administration will target the state’s 2021 climate law and regional carbon trading initiative in the name of ​“energy dominance,” but doubt the challenges will hold up in court. (WBUR)

• Connecticut Gov. Ned Lamont says the state will stand firm against President Donald Trump’s executive order targeting state climate and environmental justice initiatives and won’t let it ​“change what we do.” (CT Mirror)

• Vermont officials seek public input on the state’s proposed climate plan update. (WCAX)

FOSSIL FUELS

• U.S. Rep. Frank Pallone, a New Jersey Democrat, pushes back against the Trump administration’s plan to keep coal plants operating in the name of grid reliability, and urges utilities and regulators to clear the way for more clean energy instead. (Canary Media)

• New York advocates say they will fight President Trump’s plans to revive the proposed Constitution pipeline that would move Pennsylvania natural gas across the state; it was canceled in 2016 following intense opposition. (WSHU)

• Pennsylvania advocates condemn regulators for tabling a petition calling for increased setbacks between oil and gas operations and homes, schools and other public facilities. (news release)

NUCLEAR

• The Maine Maritime Academy revives its nuclear engineering degree program that was phased out in the 1990s, citing a renewed interest in nuclear power. (Portland Press Herald)

UTILITIES

• New York residents and local officials urge regulators to reject ConEdison’s proposed electric and natural gas rate hikes, saying they amount to middle class-gutting ​“corporate greed.” (Hudson Independent)

• Connecticut regulators and Eversource Energy spar over forecasting methods used to determine future utility rates and the size of proposed customer bill credits. (CT Post)

ELECTRIC VEHICLES

• A New Hampshire school district’s plan to use a federal grant to purchase 25 electric buses is thrown into doubt by the U.S. EPA’s funding freeze. (Associated Press)

SOLAR

• Maine advocates urge lawmakers to reject legislation that would reduce or eliminate net-metering compensation for rooftop and community solar projects, saying it could have a ​“chilling” effect on clean energy investment. (Maine Morning Star)

WIND

• New Jersey advocates petition the federal government to create a protected whale migration corridor and cancel offshore wind-energy leases off the state’s coast. (Cherry Hill Courier-Post)

STORAGE

• A western Massachusetts city votes to establish a local permitting process for grid-scale battery energy storage systems, saying it would give officials more control over proposed developments. (MassLive)

COMMENTARY

• A former Connecticut town council member urges residents and utilities to develop local clean energy to increase grid reliability and offset rising power prices. (CT Mirror)

• A Massachusetts community development official calls for flexible, innovative financing to help low-income residents electrify and decarbonize their homes. (CommonWealth Beacon)