Biden approves two more New England wind farms

OFFSHORE WIND: The Biden administration gives the greenlight to two New England offshore wind farms — the Park City and Commonwealth wind projects — bringing the country one-third of the way to the president’s offshore wind goal. (E&E News, Bloomberg)

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ALSO: Rhode Island officials unveil a new tool to help them avoid locating projects — like offshore wind and aquaculture facilities — where recreational fishers enjoy going. (ecoRI)

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MINING: A Maine legislative committee advances new environmental regulations that companies would have to fulfill before getting mineral extraction exemptions to the state’s open pit mining ban, ahead of allowing testing in Newry’s lithium-rich mineral deposit. (Portland Press Herald)

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HYDROPOWER: A Vermont utility wants to give its unprofitable but popular Green River Reservoir dam to the state to spare ratepayers the cost of operating it, and a study is underway now to see how much it would cost the state to take over. (VT Digger, WCAX)

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CLEAN ENERGY:

• As Massachusetts lawmakers look to revise the state’s clean energy development processes, a state energy siting commission hands them recommendations to speed up permitting and standardize community engagement. (RTO Insider, subscription)
• Federal agriculture officials grant almost $1.5 million to farms and businesses in Connecticut, Massachusetts and Rhode Island for wind, solar and geothermal projects. (WBZ)

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GRID: In Maryland, top environmentalists and lawmakers hash out a compromise to lower environmental processes for data centers in exchange for earmarked tax revenue for clean energy and climate program funding. (Maryland Matters)

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FOSSIL FUELS:

• The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission notches a win in a federal appeals court in a case brought by environmental groups over commissioners providing a deadline extension for a gas project in Pennsylvania and New York. (RTO Insider, subscription)
• A Canadian firm of former carbon market traders buys a Pennsylvania oilfield services company to plug abandoned oil and gas wells to generate and sell carbon credits. (Pittsburgh Post-Gazette)

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TIDAL: A developer files a preliminary permit application with federal energy regulators to resurrect a tidal power project on northeastern Maine’s Pennamaquan River, but the adjacent town says such development would harm native fish. (Bangor Daily News)

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ELECTRIC VEHICLES: At a press conference on delivery workers, New York City’s mayor declines to answer questions about required e-bike registration and creating a battery swap program codified into law last fall. (Streetsblog)

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CLIMATE: Maine’s working waterfronts are heavily exposed to symptoms of the climate crisis, including rising sea levels and extreme storms, but aren’t uniformly prepared to mitigate their circumstances. (Bangor Daily News)

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SOLAR: A developer schedules a public open house so northern New York community members living near their proposed 200 MW solar farm can learn more and ask questions. (NNY360)

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