A new milestone for offshore wind

WIND: Vineyard Wind becomes the first large-scale offshore wind farm in the U.S. to begin delivering power, a step Massachusetts Gov. Maura Healey calls “a turning point in the clean energy transition.” (Associated Press)

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ALSO: Federal interior officials approve the construction and operations plan for the two-part Empire Wind project slated to provide roughly 2 GW of electricity off the New York coast. (WorkBoat)

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GRID: FERC seeks $27 million in penalties from a Texas company called “Ketchup Caddy” after finding it bid hundreds of megawatts of non-existent capacity into MISO markets. (Utility Dive)

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ELECTRIC VEHICLES:

• Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp, whose state has seen billions of dollars in investments from EV manufacturers, says the “Biden mandates” have “pushed the market too quickly” and created a backlash to electric cars. (Politico)
• Ford’s CEO says the automaker will have to “think carefully” about the location of future factories after last year’s strike by the United Auto Workers temporarily shut down its truck factory in Louisville, Kentucky. (Associated Press)

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SOLAR:

• Sunrun says its home battery sales have surged since California slashed net metering compensation for rooftop solar. (Bloomberg)
• Amid contentious debate over a large solar project, an Ohio county sees two conflicting studies on economic benefits, but only one is transparent about its data. (Energy News Network)

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POLLUTION: The EPA’s science advisors warn a proposed power plant emissions rule will not be aggressive enough to meet Paris Agreement climate targets. (E&E News, subscription)

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OIL & GAS: The Mountain Valley Pipeline’s developers say they’ll purchase $150 million in carbon offsets to ensure the natural gas transmission project is “carbon neutral” during its first decade. (WV News)

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BIOFUELS: The U.S. EPA issues a final rule to allow year-round sales of higher blends of corn-based ethanol in eight Midwestern states despite concerns that it could worsen smog during warm weather. (Associated Press)

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UTILITIES: Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine defends a top adviser after a criminal indictment alleges she knew about millions of dollars FirstEnergy paid to Sam Randazzo before DeWine appointed him as the state’s top utility regulator. (Ohio Capital Journal)

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GEOTHERMAL: A Chicago environmental justice organization is helping to build out a geothermal heating and cooling network on the city’s South Side. (Grist)

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HYDROGEN: The CEO of North America’s largest flat-rolled steel company is betting on hydrogen to decarbonize its operations while also driving profits: “We are doing this to get paid, not to brag about it.” (E&E News)

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COMMENTARY: A Harvard legal scholar says interregional transmission lines, which will be critical for reaching climate targets, are being held back by utilities protecting their profits. (IEEE Spectrum)

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