Connecticut considers 20-part climate omnibus package

POLICY: Connecticut lawmakers consider a 20-part climate omnibus bill in the last month of their session that would declare a climate crisis so it can access federal funds, update emission targets and incentivize sustainable or energy-efficient practices. (Connecticut Public Radio)

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ALSO: Two top Northeast energy executives express optimism but nonetheless question if Massachusetts can reach its 2030 cleaner power goals. (GBH)

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GRID:

• Roughly 400,000 electric customers are still dealing with power outages across New England and the Mid-Atlantic after snow and heavy winds swept the region, leading to some coastal flooding; more snow is expected today. (PowerOutage.US, Boston Globe, CNN)
• Maine lawmakers send a bill to the governor’s desk representing the biggest change to eminent domain law in half a century, which would restrict when power line and transmission tower projects can force land sales. (Portland Press Herald)

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UTILITIES:

• National Fuel is still undertaking anti-gas ban lobbying activities despite being reprimanded by New York regulators for doing so with funds from customer bills. (New York Focus)
• Massachusetts’ attorney general says the state’s electric suppliers missed “the perfect opportunity” to lower consumer costs during the volatile energy market swings between July 2022 and June 2023. (WBUR)

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ELECTRIC VEHICLES:

• Maryland lawmakers are expected to soon vote on a budget package that adds new weight-based surcharges to electric and plug-in hybrid car registrations, a change estimated to raise $20 million for the state’s transportation fund. (Maryland Matters)
• Climate advocates say it’s going to be much harder for Maine to reach its 2030 climate goals without stronger clean car standards similar to those recently rejected by state regulators. (Portland Press Herald)
• The greater Boston area is one of the country’s biggest electric vehicle markets but still falls far behind several other large American cities in purchases. (WBUR)

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TRANSIT: The judge hearing New Jersey’s legal challenge to a federal environmental assessment of the Manhattan congestion pricing plan — which could be resolved by June — questions where the National Environmental Policy Act supports New Jersey’s argument. (Streetsblog, Gothamist)

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MINES: The owner of Pennsylvania’s Cumberland Mine idled operations last week due to heightened underground methane gas levels, not because it plans to close the mine, despite union claims that language in a company statement indicates that direction. (Herald-Standard)

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BUILDINGS:

• In New Jersey, a new PSE&G report suggests customers participating in the utility’s energy efficiency program are saving $445 million annually on their bills. (New Jersey Business Magazine)
• Maine officials will soon start studying how to increase renewable energy and energy efficiency in the state’s public schools. (Maine Wire)

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FINANCE: The Efficiency Maine Green Bank is set to receive $15 million in federal funds for loans supporting clean energy and renewable tech improvements. (news release)

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SOLAR: A Maine town will decide this weekend whether to approve a new solar ordinance with a new definition of where solar farms can be located, as well as visual and physical buffering restrictions. (Sun Journal)

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COMMENTARY:

• A Cayuga County, New York, economic analyst says the area’s limited electrical capacity is threatening numerous development projects and the county’s overall economic development. (The Citizen)
• Climate and offshore wind advocates in Delaware write it’s “not an option” for the state not to pass legislation to solicit offshore wind power given the state’s known climate impacts. (Delaware Online)

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