Trump administration halts Empire Wind

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OFFSHORE WIND

• The Trump administration orders a halt to construction on the Empire Wind project off New York; Gov. Kathy Hochul vows to fight the order ​“every step of the way.” (New York Times, ny.gov)

• Connecticut is well-positioned to develop an offshore wind market despite federal headwinds, but must launch more procurement initiatives and work with other states on regional transmission development, a new report concludes. (reNews)

FOSSIL FUELS

• Residents of South Portland, Maine, lobby for the owners of 19 hulking crude oil tanks adjacent to a residential neighborhood to voluntarily remove the structures and sell the land to be repurposed. (Portland Press Herald)

FEDERAL FUNDING

• Saying it is ​“difficult to perceive any rationality” in the Trump administration’s abrupt spending freezes, a Rhode Island judge orders the release of frozen funds previously awarded to environmental nonprofits and prohibits the government from withholding further money based on the president’s ​“Unleashing American Energy” order. (Rhode Island Current)

• Maine farmers — and their tractors — parade through the state capital to protest the Trump administration’s cancellation of millions of dollars in funds for solar panels, climate-friendly growing practices, and other programs. (Maine Morning Star)

TRANSMISSION

• After more than 100 Maryland property owners refuse to let surveyors onto their land, the power company behind controversial plans for a transmission line through the area asks the courts to allow access. (Maryland Matters)

AFFORDABILITY

• Connecticut consumer advocates and environmental groups criticize proposed legislation that claims to offer immediate relief from high electricity bills. (CTpost, Hartford Courant)

• Massachusetts’ attorney general questions how much the state’s ambitious plans to transition to clean energy will cost and how the spending will be split between ratepayers, the government, and other stakeholders. (CommonWealth Beacon)

SOLAR

• Two new community solar projects with a total capacity of nearly 20 MW are planned for a pair of towns in western New York. (Buffalo Toronto Public Media)

COMMENTARY

• A natural gas-fired plant repurposed to power a Bitcoin mining operation in New York that emits more pollution than its permit allows is a cautionary tale as new technologies demand ever-more power, says an environmental activist. (FingerLakes1)

• New York state should proceed with plans to build a transmission cable to carry offshore wind power into New York City, eventually allowing fossil fuel-fired power plants in the city to shut down, says an environmental justice advocate. (City Limits)