Union-busting allegations at Pittsburgh battery plant

BATTERIES: A battery plant in a Pittsburgh suburb that has taken advantage of or is eligible for billions in public funds has created poor working conditions and has fired union-supporting workers, according to some employees. (Pennsylvania Capital-Star)

COURTS: Environmental and transit groups sue New York’s governor over her unilateral decision to delay the Manhattan traffic congestion tolling plan, which they say was illegal and unconstitutional. (E&E News, subscription)

WIND:

• An offshore wind developer asks New Jersey utility regulators to let it pause development of a project off the Long Beach Island coast through late December, citing a lack of manufacturers willing to build its turbine blades. (WHYY)
• Vineyard Wind’s broken turbine blade, misinformation campaigns and a lack of forthrightness from offshore wind developers is causing a ​“public relations nightmare” for the industry. (Rhode Island Current)
• Revolution Wind workers install the 704 MW project’s first wind turbine in the waters near Connecticut and Rhode Island. (news release)

TRANSIT: Maryland’s governor proposes a 7% cut to the six-year transportation budget to help fill a $1.3 billion funding hole, a measure that would mean deferring maintenance and slowing down the pace of new electric bus purchases. (Daily Record)

PIPELINES: Maine’s public advocate says the rate hikes sought by three separate pipeline operators in the state would lead to higher retail electric and natural gas prices for customers. (Bangor Daily News)

GRID:

• Federal energy regulators approve a non-monetary settlement between New York State Electric and Gas and the Northeast Power Coordinating Council over the utility’s failure to comply with back-up control center requirements in 2018. (RTO Insider, subscription)
• Thirty-five Maryland lawmakers respond to a news outlet’s survey on the Maryland Piedmont Reliability Project, with none supporting the use of eminent domain for the project. (Fox Baltimore)
• Ratepayer advocates tell PJM Interconnection that it should join its counterparts in New England, New York and elsewhere to include power plants with reliability must-run contracts into its capacity auctions to help lower prices. (Utility Dive)

SOLAR:

• A developer begins commercial operations of what they say is the largest solar project in Pennsylvania: two facilities with a combined 220 MW capacity in Franklin and Fulton counties. (news release)
• The zoning board of Maryland’s Carroll County is today scheduled to talk about six solar farms proposed for currently ineligible farmland. (Baltimore Sun)