RENEWABLES: Vermont utilities raise concerns about a bill requiring them to purchase local renewable energy, saying it could lead to rate increases. (Vermont Public Radio)

ALSO: Six months after New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo said the annual state fair would be run entirely on renewable energy by 2023 no plans have been announced and experts say heating the complex this way could be problematic. (Governing)

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OFFSHORE WIND:
• The American Wind Energy Association issues a report that says offshore wind along the East Coast could support 83,000 jobs and produce $25 billion annual economic output. (offshore WIND)
• Maine Gov. Janet Mills says a Searsport terminal is a potential site to support the state’s offshore wind industry. (PenBay Pilot)

SOLAR: A Maryland Superfund site continues to be cleaned up and is now being considered as a potential location for a solar array. (Cecil Whig)

HYDROPOWER: Bipartisan lawmakers and clean water advocates support an emergency bill that would scuttle a settlement between Maryland environmental regulators and an owner of a hydropower dam that would be exempt from permit requirements. (Maryland Reporter)

OIL AND GAS:
• A fire at a Delaware refinery critically injures two and was put out within hours of reports of clouds of black smoke visible from outside the facility. (Reuters)
• The New York City comptroller joins critics of a utility’s plan to increase natural gas capacity to meet the city’s energy needs. (New York Daily News)

BIOMASS: The Vermont Senate considers a bill to extend support for a 20 MW biomass plant that receives $5 million in annual subsidies for another decade after its current contract expires in 2022. (Seven Days)

CLIMATE: A new report says climate change will produce heavier downpours and deeper flooding on Maryland’s eastern shore. (Bay Journal)

WASTE TO ENERGY: A fuel company seeks tax breaks from New York officials ro use reprocessed tires and recycled paper to power cement kilns outside Buffalo. (Buffalo News)

PIPELINES: Voters in a New Hampshire town meeting oppose the construction of the 27 mile Granite Bridge Pipeline. (WMUR)

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ELECTRIC VEHICLES:
• Massachusetts tech firms are seeing economic opportunities in the state’s push to electrify transportation. (WGBH)
• Three New york utilities are the first in the country to use electric backhoe loaders in a year of field testing for gas distribution activities throughout their service territories. (news release) 

COMMENTARY: A Chamber of Commerce director in Maine says his hyper-local concerns are not enough, so he must address the climate crisis by supporting state measures to reduce emissions and limit energy use. (Portland Press Herald)

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.