Happy Friday afternoon. This week I call your attention to some positive news stories.
First, we start with two stories about Boston. Electric Power and Light reports that Boston repeated as the top city for energy efficiency in the U.S., according to the scorecard released by the American Council for an Energy-Efficiency Economy. On the cleantech side, the Boston Business Journal published a story that says Greater Boston is among the top metro areas nationwide for clean energy startups hoping to attract venture capital dollars, according to a new report from the Brookings Institution. Boston was beat out by San Francisco and San Jose.
Also on this warm sunny afternoon Penn Energy brings us a story from the Daily Hampshire Gazette, about a Northampton High School junior who is expanding his zero-pollution lawn care enterprise this summer. “This business isn’t a compromise; it’s the future of lawn care,” says Philip Hempstead, 17, who is entering his fourth year of operating ElectroCut Lawn Care. “It’s equal-cut quality, 60 percent quieter and zero emissions.” It’s a great story about a bright kid. Give it a read.
Have a great weekend.
Natural Gas/Pipeline
Reboboth selectmen back compressor station resolution, The Sun Chronicle
Fracking ban, compressor stations debated before environmental panel, Wicked Local Weymouth
Shrewsbury town meeting adopts resolution against pipeline; approves school budget with staff increases, Worcester Telegram
Fearing More Pipeline Spills, 114 Groups Demand Halt to Ohio Gas Project, InsideClimate News
US Bank Pulls Funds from All Oil and Gas Pipeline Construction, ColorLines magazine
Fracking is encroaching on US nuclear missile sites, general says, Washington Examiner
Renewable Energy
Tree-cutting turns sentiment against solar project in North Brookfield, Worcester Telegram
Offshore wind energy gears up to hook up, Cape Cod Times
Vermont wind power sound would be among quietest in country, Penn Energy
High school student goes all-solar with lawn care business, Penn Energy
Tesla and Green Mountain Power: Get Your Behind-the-Meter Battery for $15 a Month, Greentech Media
Boston’s clean tech cluster is third strongest in the country, says report, Boston Business Journal
Rhode Island Considers Plan to Streamline Solar Permitting, US News and World Report
Report: Trump DOE budget would cut renewables office 70%, fossil 54%, nuclear 31%, Utility Dive
Maine biomass bill postponed until 2018, Bioenergy Insight Magazine
An analysis of the Massachusetts Renewable Portfolio Standard, Windpower Engineering
Offshore Wind Planning Discussed at Falmouth Forum, CapeCod.com News
Offshore wind energy gears up to hook up, Cape Cod Times
Lloyd’s backs Dong in US, reNews
Swirling Controversy: Celebration, Concern Over Offshore Wind Power, NECN
The Big Green Bang: how renewable energy became unstoppable, Financial Times
Deepwater Wind Outlines Solar Farm Proposed In Simsbury, Hartford Courant
Connecticut Zero Energy Challenge Winners Announced, Builder Magazine
Under Trump, US less attractive for renewable energy investment, FuelFix
Kennedy helps commission 4.8-MW solar project in Falmouth, Energy Central
Energy Efficiency
Republican Governors Of Vt. And Mass. Call On Feds To Honor Paris Agreement, Vermont Public Radio
Boston tops, LA rises in energy efficiency ranking, Electric Light & Power
Keep Your Cool This Summer With Energy Efficiency, Natural Resources Defense Council
Standing up for energy efficiency, Courier-Gazette & Camden Herald
Nuclear
Struggling Nuclear Industry Lobbies State Governments For Help, Rhode Island Public Radio
CT’s delayed energy plan could mean trouble for Millstone bill, The CT Mirror
VY suitor: plans are ‘highly confidential’, Commons
Nuclear plant in New Brunswick up for relicensing, Bangor Daily News
Amazon’s Clean Energy Procurements Should Include Nuclear, Say Advocates, Greentech Media
Meeting to focus on Vermont Yankee nuclear plant sale, Keene Sentinel
NRC maps out needs for nuke plant license extension, Newburyport Daily News
Markets/Grid/Policy/Prices/Etc.
Connecticut Siting Council Rejects 550-MW Gas Plant Construction, Power Engineering
CT sues EPA over transient Pennsylvania air pollutants, Hartford Business Journal
Eversource Spraying Sparks Renewed Opposition on Vineyard, The Vineyard Gazette – Martha’s Vineyard News
Public divides over environmental regulation and energy policy, Phys.Org
Study Shows Why Trump’s Plan to Bring Back Coal Jobs Won’t Work, Greentech Media
Ex-coal CEO fresh from prison urges Trump to probe 2010 blast, Reuters
China Is Outpacing the US In Reducing Coal and Lowering Emissions, Futurism
Editorial/Opinion
Editorial: Region’s environmental activists stand their ground, The Recorder
Letter: Natural gas is not the savior the industry claims, SouthCoastToday.com
Curt McCormack: Bill protects energy efficiency standards, vtdigger.org
The RGGI program should work for everyone, New Hampshire Business Review
Protest Eversource’s usurious rate request, Cape Cod Times
Solar power worth saving in Maine, The Forecaster
Northeast Energy News 