CLIMATE: The Rhode Island House has passed a major climate bill that will legally hold the government accountable for meeting a net-zero emissions goal in 2050, it will now be reconciled with a Senate bill passed last week. (Providence Journal)

ALSO:
New York City plans to push $6 billion in pension fund investments toward public companies and projects fighting climate change, triple a 2018 goal. (amNewYork)
The most recent auction of carbon allowances in the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative set a record price of $7.60 per ton. (Energy Information Administration)

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OFFSHORE WIND: Maine officials say they found no violations by lobstermen who are in a dispute with an offshore wind survey vessel over a survey of an undersea transmission cable route that led to the suspension of the survey. (Maine Public)

PIPELINES: A federal appeals court overrules New York environmental officials and clears the way for a pipeline to carry natural gas from Pennsylvania to Ontario. (Buffalo News)

OIL & GAS: The Appalachian shale gas market is not likely to remain profitable, according to a new report, an author of which argues that policymakers need to make a transition plan for the local economy and environment. (Gizmodo)

GRID:
A new study says capacity market rules adopted by grid operator PJM could cost New Jersey ratepayers an additional $300 million annually in electricity costs as federal regulators also hold a conference to discuss the rule’s future. (NJ Spotlight)
Officials with ISO New England, New York Independent System Operator and PJM Interconnection said they are in favor of getting rid of MOPR if something else replaces it. (S&P Global Platts)

COMMENTARY:
The director of an academic offshore wind initiative says surveys show the public is behind the energy source and that a vocal minority misrepresents its supposed impacts to discredit it. (NJ Spotlight)
An editorial board asks Maine lobstermen to turn down the heat in a dispute with developers of a proposed floating wind turbine, saying there is room in the ocean for both fishing and energy production. (CentralMaine.com)
The Sierra Club says while the recently created Vermont Climate Council has broad representation in its charter to create a clean energy future, it is still important for the general public to participate in its deliberations. (VT Digger)
A clean energy advocate says the recent approval of a Long Island offshore wind transmission connection is an important milestone in an arduous process to tap into the abundant energy source. (Long Island Press)

Bill is a freelance journalist based outside Albany, New York. As a former New England correspondent for RTO Insider, he has written about energy for newspapers, magazines and other publications for more than 20 years. He has an extensive career in trade publications and newspapers, mostly focused on the utility sector, covering such issues as restructuring, renewable energy and consumer affairs. Bill covers Maine, Vermont and New Hampshire and also compiles the Northeast Energy News daily email digest.