States ready to fight Trump’s attack on climate regulation

This roundup of energy news headlines comes from our Northeast Energy News newsletter. Sign up to get it in your inbox each Monday, Wednesday, and Friday morning.

FEDERAL ACTION

• “We will be in this fight for as long as it takes:” Officials in Connecticut and Massachusetts are among those planning legal challenges against the Trump administration’s repeal of a scientific finding that underpinned the EPA’s ability to regulate greenhouse gas emissions. (CT Mirror, WGBH)

OFFSHORE WIND

• The country’s two operating offshore wind projects performed as well as gas-fired power plants and better than coal-fired facilities during the cold snaps that hit the Northeast last month. (Canary Media)

• More U.S. House Republicans are raising questions about the Trump administration’s claim that offshore wind poses national security risks: ​“America’s energy policy should be grounded in facts.” (E&E News)

• U.S. Interior Secretary Doug Burgum says the Trump administration will appeal five rulings that allowed offshore wind farm construction to continue after December stop-work orders. (E&E News)

• The U.S. offshore wind industry lays plans to reignite development once President Donald Trump is out of office in 2029. (RTO Insider)

STORAGE

• New England’s largest standalone battery storage facility, a 175-MW project in Maine, comes online, bringing the state more than halfway to its 2030 energy storage goals. (Maine Public)

• Storage startup NineDot Energy raises $431 million for its plan to build battery systems on empty lots throughout New York City. (Canary Media)

SOLAR

• Solar installers in the Philadelphia area are switching to third-party ownership models to stay in business despite the end of federal residential tax credits. (Philadelphia Citizen)

AFFORDABILITY

• Maryland regulators approve a plan to allow utilities to offer discounts to low-income customers based on their ability to pay. (Maryland Matters)

• A Rhode Island company that has received nearly $20 million in state renewable energy and energy efficiency rebates is now championing Gov. Dan McKee’s plan to substantially shrink these programs in the name of lowering utility bills. (Rhode Island Current)

CLEAN ENERGY

• Vermont Gov. Phil Scott (R) wants to change the state’s renewable energy requirement into a clean energy rule that would allow nuclear power to count toward the state’s goals. (WCAX)

• Maryland environmental groups agree to support Gov. Wes Moore’s plan to redirect $725 million away from the state renewable energy fund, but push for a commitment to spend at least $365 million per year on clean energy programs going forward. (Inside Climate News)

NATURAL GAS

• Connecticut Gov. Ned Lamont, a Democrat, rejects calls by two Republican opponents to sue New York for blocking development of a new natural gas pipeline they say is necessary to lower electricity prices. (Hartford Courant)

GRID

• Grid operator PJM agrees to extend a capacity price cap it put in place last year in response to concerns about skyrocketing costs. (E&E News, media release)

INDUSTRY

• Six months after a deadly explosion at a Pennsylvania coke plant, nearby residents worry about air pollution and safety, though new owner Nippon Steel has started investing more in improvements and upgrades. (Public Source)

NEW FROM CANARY

• Chart: The energy transition attracted record investment in 2025 — Ysabelle Kempe

• A new Ohio bill could be a de facto statewide ban on solar and wind — Kathiann M. Kowalski

• A firm capturing carbon at NYC high-rises tackles Canadian gas pipelines — Julian Spector