Constitution pipeline won’t solve New England’s energy problems

This roundup of energy news headlines comes from our Northeast Energy News newsletter. Sign up to get it in your inbox each Monday, Wednesday, and Friday morning.

FOSSIL FUELS

• The proposed Constitution pipeline that would carry natural gas from Pennsylvania to New York would not help lower energy prices in New England, despite claims made by U.S. EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin in a recent opinion piece. (Canary Media)

• A Pennsylvania community dealing with contamination from a leak in a jet fuel pipeline discovers that the pipeline operator has identified multiple ​“anomalies” in the system, leading to worries about another possible leak. (Trentonian)

• An explosion on a cargo ship transporting coal causes no injuries, but shuts down the Port of Baltimore’s main shipping channel for several hours. (Associated Press)

OFFSHORE WIND

• Offshore wind developer Ørsted is issuing new shares in an attempt to raise $9.4 billion to complete two ongoing projects off Rhode Island and New York. (Canary Media)

SOLAR

• In New Jersey, 33 large-scale, shovel-ready solar projects totaling more than 500 megawatts are at risk of becoming financially unviable if they lose planned-for federal tax credits while they wait for approval from grid operator PJM. (Gothamist)

FEDERAL ACTION

• Nine states — including Connecticut, Maryland, and New York — demand the federal government correct a grid reliability report that they say mischaracterizes the risk of widespread blackouts and ​“suffers from numerous analytical, mathematical, and empirical flaws.” (Canary Media)

• The Trump administration is aiming to shut down the independent agency looking into last week’s deadly explosion at a Pennsylvania coking plant, likely before its investigation is complete. (E&E News)

CLIMATE

• Federal plans to deregulate greenhouse gas emissions and roll back vehicle emissions standards threaten New York’s ability to meet its legal requirement to reduce climate pollution by 85% by 2050 and phase out gas vehicles by 2035. (Gothamist)

• Vermont asks a federal court to dismiss challenges to its law that would make fossil fuel companies pay for the impact of climate change. (E&E News)

UTILITIES

• New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and other states in the PJM Interconnection region are considering measures that would undo rules prohibiting utilities from owning power plants, an idea consumer advocates say would boost utilities’ profits without providing any benefits for customers. (Inside Climate News)

TRANSIT

• New York City replaces a ferry that burned 420 gallons of diesel fuel per day with a $33 million hybrid-electric vessel, the first in the state and one of the first in the country. (Canary Media)

STORAGE

• At an appearance on Long Island, EPA head Lee Zeldin expresses concerns about the safety of lithium-ion battery storage and promises new federal guidelines for such systems. (SILive)

TRANSMISSION

• New York state regulators reject a proposal to allow the state power authority to take over a transmission line project intended to carry wind and solar power into New York City, following the original developer’s cancellation of the plan last year. (E&E News)

• The company surveying land for a widely opposed transmission line in Maryland asks courts for protection for its employees, saying some property owners have intimidated and threatened violence against the surveyors. (Maryland Matters)

BUILDINGS

• A Swiss startup aims to use panels that capture heat from the ground and air to use heat created in New York City’s underground infrastructure to heat and cool buildings. (Crain’s)

NEW FROM CANARY 

• Cruising Virginia countryside in an electric vehicle is a lot easier now — Elizabeth Ouzts

• Colorado now requires health warning labels on gas stoves — Alison F. Takemura