Court rejects challenge to offshore wind power cables

Feb 29, 2024

WIND: A court rules in favor of an offshore wind developer after it sued a New Jersey county for refusing to grant an easement to bring underground transmission cables onshore. (NJ.com)

JOBS: “People aren’t entering the trades the way they used to”: Clean energy installers warn a shortage of electricians and other skilled workers in New England could severely hamper efforts to decarbonize. (Valley News)

NATURAL GAS:• A natural gas company will donate methane detectors to a Pennsylvania community in response to an explosion that killed six people earlier this month. (KDKA)• Federal regulators are developing new pipeline safety rules, five years after a series of gas explosions in Massachusetts killed one person and damaged or destroyed more than 130 properties. (CBS Boston)

GRID:• A Vermont utility lifts the cap on its popular home battery program, which has so far helped install 4,800 home energy storage systems totalling 27 MW of capacity. (Canary Media)• New York’s first state-owned energy storage system, a 20 MW facility near the Quebec border, is now operational. (news release)

EQUITY: New Hampshire Gov. Chris Sununu and other Republicans oppose the creation of an environmental justice position at ISO-NE, warning it could “compel progressive societal change.” (NHPR)

CRYPTOCURRENCY:• Environmental groups push state officials to deny a cryptocurrency company’s request to burn tires to power its data centers. (StateImpact Pennsylvania)• Pennsylvania lawmakers seek to limit development of energy-intensive cryptocurrency data centers, in part by restricting a state sales tax exemption. (Capital and Main)

SOLAR: Two New York legislators write the state siting board to oppose a proposed Hudson Valley solar project, saying it poses a threat to prime farmland. (Spectrum Local News)

EFFICIENCY: A new report outlines which energy efficiency measure will save Vermonters the most money. (Burlington Free Press)

TRANSPORTATION: A new Maryland commission meets to discuss how to pay for roads as gasoline tax revenues decline. (Herald-Mail)

CLIMATE: Scientists say it’s not yet clear whether climate change is causing more tornadoes in New England. (Boston.com)

COMMENTARY:• Advocates say a New Jersey town’s climate resilience plan, believed to be the first of its kind in the state, can provide lessons for other communities. (NorthJersey.com)• Climate activists say Maine should ban utility shutoffs during extreme weather events. (CentralMaine.com)• A Connecticut lawmaker says the legislature missed an opportunity to cut emissions by failing to pass a bill to fund energy improvements at schools. (CT Post)

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Ken is the director of the Energy News Network at Fresh Energy and is a founding editor of both Midwest Energy News and Southeast Energy News. Prior to joining Fresh Energy, he was the managing editor for online news at Minnesota Public Radio. He started his journalism career in 2002 as a copy editor for the Duluth News Tribune before spending five years at the Spokesman-Review in Spokane, Washington, where he worked as a copy editor, online producer, features editor and night city editor. A Nebraska native, Ken has a bachelor's degree from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and a master's degree from the University of Oregon. He is a member of the Society of Professional Journalists and Investigative Reporters and Editors.