Why Pennsylvania fracking is a ​‘diversion’ in the presidential race

NATURAL GAS: While fracking in Pennsylvania has become a focal point of the presidential campaign, presidents can’t actually ban fracking, and experts say job claims are being exaggerated while environmental costs add up. (WHYY)

GRID: Environmental groups file a complaint with FERC over PJM Interconnection’s capacity auctions, saying consumers are effectively paying twice for the capacity value of ​“must-run” power plants. (Utility Dive)

SOLAR:

• Maine has proposed new regulations to slow the siting of solar on agricultural land, raising questions about the balance between the needs of farmers and the importance of reaching climate goals. (Maine Public Radio)
• A 2,000-acre solar farm to be built on reclaimed mine land in Pennsylvania will be the state’s largest and provide power for 75,000 households in New York. (WTAJ)
• Rutgers University launches a new ​“farmer-first” agrivoltaics project in New Jersey, where cattle will graze alongside panels that adjust to allow equipment to pass through. (NJ Spotlight)

CLIMATE: Activists rally in New Jersey in support of a bill that would require fossil fuel companies to pay for damages related to climate change. (New Jersey Monitor)

ELECTRIC VEHICLES: New Jersey has ended a 20-year sales tax exemption for electric vehicles, instituting a 50% exemption until July 2025, when buyers will have to pay the full tax of 6.625%. (NJ Spotlight)

TRANSPORTATION:

• A $20 million federal grant will help fund a new hybrid ferry on a route connecting New Jersey and Delaware, replacing a 40-year-old diesel vessel and reducing annual carbon dioxide emissions by more than 2,000 tons. (WHYY)
• A Maine harbor installs fast-charging stations with help from a $500,000 federal grant as an oyster farm begins transitioning to electric boats, expected to be a ​“new standard” for the industry. (Workboat)

STORAGE: Hundreds of community members gathered in a Long Island town to object to plans for a 275 megawatt battery storage facility which would be one of the state’s — and the country’s — largest. (Newsday, subscription)

OFFSHORE WIND: A Delaware nonprofit and two individuals have filed suit against the state’s natural resources department, aiming to prevent it from approving permits to bring a power line from a planned offshore wind project ashore in a state park. (WBOC)

EQUITY: As New York City rolls out building decarbonization regulations, the city has introduced plans to create a fund that will help rent-regulated multifamily housing owners and low-income co-ops comply with the law. (SmartCities Dive)

BUILDINGS:

• A Maine HVAC company’s expansion reflects a growing demand for heat pumps and other electrification services in the state. (Mainebiz)
• Green design, energy efficiency practices, and a major solar power-purchase agreement have helped Penn State University cut its greenhouse gas emissions in half since 2005. (news release)

COMMENTARY: Massachusetts energy-storage incentives are innovative and successful in some ways, but fall short of living up to the state’s commitments to equity in its clean energy transition, according to a report from the nonprofit Clean Energy Group. (Energy News Network)