Trump administration takes aim at US Wind

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.

OFFSHORE WIND

• The Trump administration is considering rescinding a key permit for the US Wind project off the Delaware and Maryland coast, according to recent court filings. (Spotlight Delaware)

ELECTRIFICATION

• Housing development surges in a Massachusetts town that has banned fossil fuels in new buildings, despite detractors’ fears that such rules would slow construction. (Canary Media)

PUBLIC HEALTH

• When a coal processing plant outside of Pittsburgh shut down in 2016, ER visits for pediatric asthma almost immediately dropped 40% and then continued to decline, according to a new analysis. (Inside Climate News)

CLIMATE

• A new report shows how local climate action like a Maine heat pump installation campaign and community advocacy for the Empire Wind projection New York will keep millions of metric tons of carbon emissions out of the atmosphere across the U.S. (Grist)

• In New York, a lack of renewable energy projects coming online, concerns about the grid’s ability to handle too much new generation, and the state’s slow implementation of its planned cap-and-invest program are all making it difficult for the state to meet its emissions targets. (Inside Climate News)

NATURAL GAS

• New Hampshire Gov. Kelly Ayotte says she supports efforts to revive the Constitution Pipeline, a proposed project that would carry natural gas from Pennsylvania into New England. (WMUR)

GRID

• New Jersey utility PSEG saw inquiries about providing new service to large loads jump by nearly 50% from March to June of this year, amping up concerns that the region faces a looming energy shortage. (RTO Insider)

• Capacity prices in the PJM grid area, already at record highs, would need to more than double to make it worth the risk of developing new generation facilities, a panel of experts says. (New Jersey Monitor)

ELECTRIC VEHICLES

• New York City’s 2,500 electric vehicles — the largest municipal EV fleet in the country — are far more efficient than their gas- or diesel-powered counterparts, except in cold winter weather, when their range drops by a third, a new study finds. (E&E News)

SOLAR

• Maryland farmers worry that a new law limiting counties’ authority over solar development decisions coupled with financial pressure from solar companies could damage the state’s agricultural ecosystem. (Maryland Matters)

• City leaders in Hartford, Connecticut, consider a plan to build a 14-acre solar farm over a closed landfill once known as ​“Mount Trashmore.” (Hartford Courant)

CLEAN ENERGY

• New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy, with help from a key ally in the state Senate, is pushing to make his goal of 100% clean energy for the state a reality before he leaves office at the end of the year. (E&E News)

• Maryland launches a $64 million initiative to support local governments’ clean energy planning and projects. (WBFF)

NEW FROM CANARY 

• Used EV batteries could upend the race for long-duration storage — Julian Spector

• Meet Minnesota’s electric coffee roasting pioneers — Dan Haugen

• Can EV ambassadors help Chicago drivers go electric? — Kari Lydersen