Floating offshore wind has a pivotal moment in Maine

OFFSHORE WIND: Maine’s plans to develop a floating offshore wind industry are at a pivotal point, as researchers refine equipment and wait for regulatory approval to sell power generated by a planned test array. (Maine Monitor)

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ALSO: Maryland regulators approve a request to increase the amount of power produced by a planned wind farm off the Maryland and Delaware coast. (WBOC)

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CLIMATE:

• A judge dismisses lawsuits by two Maryland counties that argued oil companies used deceptive practices and should pay for the impacts of climate change. (Baltimore Sun, subscription)
• Oil and business interests’ suit against Vermont’s law making oil companies pay for climate change impacts could set an important precedent for similar laws in other states, such as New York’s recently passed Climate Change Superfund Act. (Inside Climate News)

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GRID:

• Amazon’s plan to connect a data center directly to a Pennsylvania nuclear plant could pave the way for other such arrangements, which opponents say would raise electricity prices for everyone else. (Associated Press)
• Maryland lawmakers consider a pair of bills intended to protect farmland from being taken by eminent domain for energy projects, a reaction to plans for a transmission line that would cut through three rural counties in the state. (Lancaster Farming)

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POLITICS: Energy policy debates will take center stage in the Maryland legislature this year as the state tries, all at once, to rein in rising prices, meet clean energy goals, and ensure enough power generation. (Maryland Matters)‍

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EFFICIENCY: Vermont’s program providing weatherization funding for low-income residents is running low on money as federal funds dry up. (Vermont Public)

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‍TRANSPORTATION: New York City’s congestion pricing has reduced traffic in the central business district by more than 8%, but is also expected to redirect traffic into some of the city’s poorest neighborhoods, increasing pollution in places that already bear heavy environmental burdens. (Streetsblog, Inside Climate News)

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‍RENEWABLES: Environmental justice advocates in New York City push the state’s power authority to plan more renewable energy projects in the city to reduce the use of fossil fuel peaker plants. (Inside Climate News)

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‍SOLAR: A New York appellate court rules a town’s attempt to block a commercial solar development runs counter to state mandates to increase renewable power use. (Times Union)

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‍COMMENTARY: The offshore wind industry in Maine can attract investment, support economic development, and create jobs, regardless of environmental benefits, says a newspaper editorial board. (Portland Press Herald)

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