The latest: The White House is now mulling over this proposal…which was drafted by the EPA itself. This follows the agency’s February repeal of the Endangerment Finding, the legal foundation for US greenhouse gas regulation. (Hear how hundreds of utility pros reacted to the rollback.)

And if the White House approves? Developers could build power plants quicker, and with less guardrails. Electric co-ops argue this shift is necessary to meet ballooning grid demand.

The (major) tradeoff: The power sector is the country’s biggest industrial source of greenhouse gas emissions.

The details: Maine’s PUC has tapped Clearway Energy Group to build a 800-MW onshore wind farm, and Avangrid to construct a 1.2-GW line (which will send those clean electrons to MA, CT, VT, and RI). The two projects are expected to deliver $2.4B in economic output. And during blustery Northern winters, the projects could curb costly oil use by over 10%.

Also on the docket: As we covered, ISO-NE is considering a separate transmission upgrade to send Northern Maine wind power to southern New England.

Why it matters: Ratepayers there face some of the country’s highest power bills—that’s why state officials have spent nearly two decades trying to harness Northern Maine’s wind potential. And as the region’s offshore projects face White House headwinds, onshore farms are looking far more feasible.

New Jersey ratepayers can put that cash toward the purchase and installation of eligible storage systems. For more help with installation costs, PSE&G is also offering up to $25K in interest-free, on-bill repayment. 

The goal: During peak demand, PSE&G said it may harness some of these batteries to power customers’ homes (after notifying them in advance).

Zoom out: This pilot will offer lessons for NJ’s effort to form a statewide VPP program.

Current status: Following a powerful Aug. 11 storm, restoration efforts for over 350K customers are “substantially complete,” per NIPSCO’s website. 

A closer look: Now, Gov. Mike Braun wants the Indiana Utility Regulatory Commission to examine NIPSCO’s storm prep. Specifically, he wants to know: 1) Whether NIPSCO was properly maintaining vegetation (the subject of a recently filed class-action lawsuit) and 2) if “funding approved by state regulators for infrastructure and reliability improvements was spent as promised.” 🤔

Now on the governor’s desk: If signed by Gavin Newsom, the bill would allow households to plug in portable panels without utility interconnection agreements (a provision that would expire in 2030). These systems—capped at 1.2K watts—would have to meet UL or equivalent standards.  

The list: So far, eight states have legalized plug-in solar, including VA, CT, and MD.

No more diesel? California-based Voya is developing emissions-free generators that use an “electrochemical process” to turn aluminum-based fuel into electricity. Voya claims its tech avoids two major diesel generator downsides: It’s “ultra-silent,” and doesn’t require air quality permits.

The big picture: For many data center developers, speed-to-power means snapping up diesel generators (their capacity at data centers nearly tripled from 2018 to 2024). But reliance on these noisy, polluting machines has sparked community backlash.