Vermont to make oil giants pay for climate damages

POLICY: Vermont’s governor allows the Climate Superfund Act to become law without his signature, becoming the first state to pass a measure requiring major oil companies to pay for climate damages. (VT Digger)

‍

ALSO: New York advocates continue to push legislators to pass the NY Heat Act before the end of their current legislative session. (News 10)

‍

FOSSIL FUELS:

• The fossil fuel-fired Mystic Generating Station in Massachusetts is slated to close today after years of unprofitability. (WBUR)
• Massachusetts’ attorney general and the owner of a contaminated former oil tank site in Everett agree on terms to remediate and redevelop the property into a multi-use district. (news release)

‍

BUILDINGS: New York opens up the country’s first energy rebate program supported by $158 million in Inflation Reduction Act funds, providing up to $14,000 to low-to-moderate-income homeowners for energy efficient upgrades. (Spectrum News 1; Gothamist)

‍

WIND:

• Federal ocean energy regulators decide to lease a 15.2-square-mile site in the Gulf of Maine to the state of Maine to form the first U.S. floating offshore wind research site in federal waters. (Mainebiz)
• Officials in Maryland and Delaware schedule public information sessions to discuss proposed offshore wind projects from US Wind. (news releases)
• A coastal New Jersey township’s council passes a resolution to oppose offshore wind projects, “regardless of height of the structures and distance from New Jersey’s pristine shorelines.” (Press of Atlantic City)

‍

HYDROGEN: In Pennsylvania, a gas company is pushing its allies in the governor’s office to help ensure it can tap into the most lucrative tier of hydrogen production federal tax credits. (Pennsylvania Capital-Star)

‍

BATTERIES: Energy storage experts say Massachusetts’ battery storage sector will be able to mature to the point it no longer relies on state incentives, pointing out that an intermittent resources-heavy grid pairs well with the tech. (RTO Insider, subscription)

‍

TRANSPORTATION: The Trucking Association of New York sues New York City’s transit agency, seeking to block the higher fees it says it will “unfairly and unconstitutionally” have to pay through the Manhattan traffic congestion tolling plan. (NBC New York)

‍

SOLAR:

• A Pennsylvania Republican lawmaker introduces legislation to enable power utilities to offer a 100% solar subscription program to customers. (news release)
• Western Vermonters debate large-scale solar, with some saying the size of proposed projects are too much for the state. (VT Digger)
• Some residents of Pennsylvania’s Lehman Township say they aren’t against green energy but want caution exercised as local officials consider a proposal for a “massive” solar farm on agricultural land. (WFMZ)

‍

COMMENTARY: Two biofuel advocates point out outdated information used in a recent newspaper op-ed, saying the piece was “downplaying the merits of clean, commercially available biofuels” as a decarbonization strategy. (CT Mirror)

‍