Massachusetts, Connecticut and Rhode Island announced the winners of their joint offshore wind procurement Friday.
The three selected projects are expected to produce 2,878 megawatts of electricity — or about what it takes to power 1.6 million homes. It’s considerably less than the 6,800 megawatts the states set out to procure.
Massachusetts customers will get the vast majority of electricity from the projects, 2,678 megawatts, and Rhode Island customers will get 200 megawatts. Connecticut, which was also part of the multi-state process, did not select any projects. In a statement, a spokesperson for the Department of Energy and Environmental Protection said Connecticut officials are still evaluating projects and will announce “a final decision” at a future date.
Despite the lackluster size of the projects, government officials touted the results as great news, noting that it represents the largest offshore wind procurement to date in New England, and it will help the region sever its dependence on fuels like natural gas, which contribute to climate change.
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New Website Will Streamline Transformation of Unusable Land into Clean Energy Sites
A 2.66 megawatt solar panel farm along the Old Erie Canal in New York state was constructed in an old landfill. (N. Scott Trimble | syracuse.com)
From the NJ Department of Environmental Protection
TRENTON – New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy on Wednesday announced the launch of a new website that will serve as a one-stop shop to guide municipalities and solar developers as they plan, fund, and complete solar plus landfill capping projects.
The Governor also signed legislation, A4619/S3479, enhancing the Historic Property Reinvestment Act and the Brownfields Redevelopment Incentive Program Act to support historic preservation and further incentivize the redevelopment of brownfields across New Jersey into new solar energy facilities.
“In New Jersey, we have set the ambitious goal of delivering a 100 percent green economy because we know how important it is to build a strong foundation for renewable energy, combating the imminent threat of climate change and propelling our state forward. My Administration has pursued innovative strategies to reduce our carbon footprint by shifting away from fossil fuels and uplifting renewable resources. These policies represent an investment into our residents and our communities by prioritizing public health, spurring economic development, and creating good-paying jobs,said Governor Murphy.
“With the launch of the Landfill to Solar website, we are putting all our resources in one place so municipalities and developers can leverage otherwise unusable land into renewable energy sites. We are also expanding tax credits under the Economic Development Authority’s Historic Property Reinvestment Act and Brownfields Redevelopment Program Act so that we can preserve New Jersey’s communities while promoting environmental cleanup and green energy production. Today’s bill signing will ensure future generations can celebrate the rich history of our state while living in a greener, healthier environment.”
The new Landfill to Solar website, created by the Governor’s Office of Climate Action and the Green Economy, brings together resources from New Jersey’s Board of Public Utilities (BPU), Economic Development Authority (EDA), and Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) to provide both municipal governments and solar developers with a step-by-step guide to initiating and completing solar projects.
The site highlights DEP’s Solar Siting Analysis Mapping Tool to help identify eligible landfill sites in municipalities across New Jersey and provides streamlined instructions on how to apply for incentive programs made available through the state. This includes EDA’s Brownfields Redevelopment Incentive Program Act as well as BPU’s Community Solar Energy Program (CSEP) and Competitive Solar Incentive (CSI) program. New Jersey’s solar programs provide incentives tailored to the needs of different projects, further enabling the continued growth of the solar industry at a lower cost to ratepayers. At their September 4 board meeting, BPU adopted rules for the permanent Community Solar Energy Program and proposed changes to allow for the co-location of projects on uncapped, municipally-owned landfills up to a total size of 10-megawatts.
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Liz Cheney said yesterday that she intends to swallow hard and pull the lever for Kamala Harris in November, making good on her stated belief that Donald Trump is a maniac who has a knife to the throat of our democracy.
“I don’t believe we have the luxury of writing in other people’s names, especially in swing states,” she told students at Duke University. “Not only am I not voting for Donald Trump, but I will be voting for Kamala Harris.”
Can Chris Christie show that same kind of courage, that same patriotism? Like Cheney, he tells us Trump is a low-down hustler who is unfit for office. But unlike Cheney, he has not done all he can to stop him. She’s jumped into the fight. He hasn’t.
And let’s remember, he is the Dr. Frankenstein who helped create this monster, the first major Republican to endorse Trump in 2016, and his debate coach in the 2020 campaign. He owes America a debt for that.
But so far, he’s been playing it safe. The easy option is to vote for Ronald Reagan, his hero. That would keep his own fingerprints of the gun this time. But if he really believes what he says about Trump, then it’s a cop out of historic dimensions.
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New York’s deadly basement apartments face growing flooding risk
Many of the roughly 100,000 units are illegal and do not conform to codes, making them a hazard for fires and floods
By Samantha Maldonado, The Guardian
Josh Alba had lived in an illegal basement apartment in Queens, New York, for almost five years. Despite the low ceilings, he savored his chance to afford housing without roommates. But his tenure there ended during Hurricane Ida.
He’d been asleep on his couch as the rain started falling. He only woke up when his cat smacked him in the face, and he noticed water coming in from outside, rising to at least an inch on the floor.
Alba wrapped his cat in a blanket and texted his landlord, who unlocked the door to upstairs through which he escaped. Later, he said, the water broke down the door leading outside from the basement, and the floods came up to about 5ft, toppling the refrigerator and ruining most of his belongings.
“I could’ve died if I didn’t wake up,” he said. Now 35, Alba lives in Bushwick, Brooklyn, with roommates, paying just $300 less for his room than he had paid for his former basement apartment.
In September 2021, Hurricane Ida deluged New York City with floodwaters and record rainfall – and killed 13 New Yorkers, including 11 who drowned in basement homes.
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New Jersey’s newest ambitious clean-energy project is facing significant delays.
Leading Light Wind, an American-founded initiative, has requested a pause from the New Jersey Board of Public Utilities (BPU) on its plans to develop a wind farm off Long Beach Island.
The project is struggling to secure a manufacturer for its turbine blades.
In a filing submitted in July but only recently made public, Leading Light Wind cited industrywide shifts in market conditions as the primary reason for the delay.
Wes Jacobs, the project director and vice president of Offshore Wind Development at Invenergy, a partner in the project, emphasized the need for more time to negotiate with the board and supply chain partners.
Despite the pause, his outlook remains hopeful.
“As one of the largest American-led offshore wind projects in the country, we remain committed to delivering this critically important energy project, as well as its significant economic and environmental benefits, to the Garden State,” he said in a statement.
The project has since been plagued by setbacks, including the withdrawal of turbine supplier GE Vernova and a significant cost increase from Siemens Gamesa Renewable Energy, leaving the project without a viable turbine supplier.
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If the bill is signed, California could become the first state to adopt a textile extended producer responsibility program. Lawmakers also approved EPR updates for paint, carpet and marine flares.
A compost pile in California. State legislators in Sacramento approved several waste and recycling bills in 2024 meant to establish and modernize EPR programs and update SB 1383 organics recycling rules.
California state legislators approved a range of waste and recycling bills last week before wrapping up their session on Aug. 31. The bills will now head to Gov. Gavin Newsom for a final decision by Sept. 30.
If these bills are signed, California could become the first state to establish an extended producer responsibility program for textiles. The state is also poised to update its paint EPR program and replace its carpet management program with a new EPR model.
Legislators also passed several bills related to SB 1383, the state’s complex organics recycling law. However, bills related to compost facility zoning, packaging EPR updates and other topics failed to pass before the end of the session.
Additionally, the legislature passed multiple packaging-related bills with implications for the waste and recycling industry. Notable examples include an effort to standardize expiration date labels, which supporters say could reduce food waste, and a bill to tighten the state’s regulation of plastic grocery bags. Both measures saw support from notable waste industry groups.
Read on for more highlights from the waste and recycling bills that previously made it through California’s legislative crossover deadline in May:
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