U.S. Steel pledges emissions-cutting upgrades

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.

INDUSTRY

• U.S. Steel pledges up to $2.5 billion in upgrades to its facilities outside Pittsburgh, including implementation of new technology to reduce emissions. (Pittsburgh’s Public Source)

FOSSIL FUELS

• The Trump administration’s pledge to spend $700 million to bolster the coal industry could provide an economic boost to Pennsylvania, the country’s third-largest coal producer. (Allegheny Front)

• During a visit to New York, EPA administrator Lee Zeldin calls on state leaders to approve the Constitution natural gas pipeline and roll back its ban on fracking. (WBNG)

• The expansion of natural gas service in Connecticut has led to pricey infrastructure upgrades without lowering fuel costs, a new report finds. (CT Mirror)

DATA CENTERS

• Democratic governors in New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and elsewhere must walk a ​“political tightrope” as they decide whether to embrace the economic promise of data centers or oppose the facilities’ potential impact on water quality and energy prices. (E&E News)

EMISSIONS

• The price for emitting a ton of carbon in the Northeast’s cap-and-trade system for power plants hits a record high in its latest auction, but does not increase as much as some onlookers had feared after Virginia entered the market. (E&E News)

UTILITIES

• A Rhode Island legislator postpones a bill that would’ve allowed utilities to own power plants after opposition by environmental advocates. (Rhode Island Current)

SOLAR

• Vermont increases the rate it pays solar panel owners for sending excess power onto the grid, but some residents say the compensation should be even higher. (NBC5)

• Kingston, New York, will become the first municipality in the state to offer residents automated residential solar and storage permitting. (news release)

• In a new song, folk-pop star Noah Kahan makes reference to a solar installation built atop a former copper mine in his Vermont hometown. (GoodGoodGood)

TRANSMISSION

• National Grid announces plans to spend $470 million rebuilding the region’s oldest transmission line, a 47-mile stretch in Massachusetts. (WWLP/State House News Service)

ELECTRIFICATION

• Massachusetts will install six fast chargers in spots heavily used by rideshare vehicles as part of a state effort to expand access to charging for these drivers. (WWLP)

WORKFORCE

• Worcester, Massachusetts, will launch a new vocational education program preparing students for careers in clean energy fields. (Worcester Telegram and Gazette)

NEW FROM CANARY

• This software firm has a plan to take grid-enhancing tech nationwide — Jeff St. John

• Energy-hungry aluminum plant is swept up in Oklahoma governor’s race — Maria Gallucci

• In this house, an EV helps power appliances — and the grid — Jeff St. John

• North Carolina bill would prop up coal until new nuclear is approved — Elizabeth Ouzts