Wind farm order raises red flags

This roundup of energy news headlines comes from our Northeast Energy News newsletter. Sign up to get it in your inbox each morning.

OFFSHORE WIND

• The Trump administration’s order halting work on the Empire Wind project raises red flags for not just other permitted wind farms, but any industry that receives federal approvals for any of its operations, experts say. (NPR)

NUCLEAR

• New Hampshire’s Seabrook nuclear power plant is suffering from ​“concrete cancer” — an irreversible chemical reaction that causes concrete to crack — though inspectors have deemed the facility safe at this time. (WMUR)

CLIMATE

• The Massachusetts Port Authority, which oversees Boston’s Logan International Airport as well as two smaller airports and two ports, hires its first climate chief to steer the organization toward its goal of net-zero emissions by 2031. (CommonWealth Beacon)

SOLAR

• The Massachusetts Port Authority also announces plans to build a 20 MW solar field at a regional airport, saying the installation will generate nearly enough power to offset the organization’s electricity use each year. (WCVB)

• A developer retrofits a 336-unit New Jersey apartment building with solar panels, saying the project is the largest high-rise, multi-family installation in the state. (Smart Cities Dive)

• A small New Hampshire brewery uses solar to offset all of its electricity use and save $23,000 a year in electricity costs thanks to a federal grant that paid for about one-third of the installation. (PV Magazine)

• A proposed 26-MW solar farm in western Maryland would be one of the largest installations in the state. (Cumberland Times-News)

COAL

• The owner of New England’s last operating coal-fired power plant says plans are still in the works to shut down the operation and use the site for solar panels and battery storage. even though the company asked for and received an exemption from some Biden-era federal pollution regulations. (Concord Monitor)

AFFORDABILITY

• Connecticut consumer and environmental advocates oppose sprawling energy legislation intended to lower power bills, saying it could increase costs in the long-term and calling it a ​“direct assault” on clean energy goals. (CT Insider)

ELECTRIC VEHICLES

• New York state lawmakers push the state to impose penalties of as much as $41.2 million on EV maker Tesla for not hiring as many employees as promised at the Buffalo facility it rents from the state for $1 per year. (Gothamist)

• Starting May 1, electric vehicle owners in Pennsylvania will have to pay an annual fee — starting at $200 this year — to help fund road construction and repairs. (PennLive)

GRID

• New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy asks federal regulators to investigate a July 2024 auction by grid operator PJM, alleging the ​“potential market manipulations” could have contributed to a 20% increase in electricity rates in the state. (RTO Insider)

EFFICIENCY

• Federal funding cuts could jeopardize programs to hire and train more weatherization professionals in Allentown, Pennsylvania. (WFMZ)

• Rhode Island state programs help cities and towns fund energy efficiency improvements from LED streetlight bulbs to EV fleet vehicles to save money and demonstrate the impact such changes can have. (ecoRI)