Hot News and Updates:

Regional Northeast News:

• Environmental agencies in nine Northeast and Western states pledge to have heat pumps make up 90% of residential heating, air conditioning and water heating sales in their states by 2040. (Energy News Network)

• EVs, heat pumps seen creating Northeast grid crunch (E&E News)

• How a Landmark Supreme Court Decision Will Reshape the U.S. Energy Sector (Scientific American) 

• Ten Republican governors, including New Hampshire’s Chris Sununu, band together to oppose renewable power mandates; an advocate says the group’s call for “energy choice” is “thinly veiled code” for natural gas. (The Hill)

• Commentary: Wood-stove industry seeks consistent regulations, in-home testing (Boston Business Journal)

Connecticut:

• Climate change all but ignored by the CT legislature in 2023 (CT Mirror) 

• New Haven, CT receives $3 million in federal funds to plant 5,000 trees for climate mitigation, a project the city’s climate czar calls “hackneyed” but effective. (New Haven Independent)

Maine:

• Mainers Pass $25 Million Bond for Science, Renewable Energy

• Effort to ban new natural gas pipelines thrusts Maine into national energy debate (Bangor Daily News)  

• Maine launched its first Inflation Reduction Act rebates. What’s next? (The Maine Monitor) 

• Maine to Receive Part of $450 Million Federal Grant to “Accelerate the Adoption of Heat Pump Technology” (Maine Wire) 

Massachusetts:

• MA House, Senate reach deal on climate bill (CommonWealth Beacon)

• Massachusetts cities embrace voluntary green building codes (Canary Media)

• Healey Adds Clean Energy Reforms To Closeout Budget - Massachusetts (NEHPBA Blog)

• Healey: Beacon Hill Democrats must find deal on ‘absolutely essential’ clean energy bill (Boston Herald)

• Massachusetts Legislature Adjourns Without Passing Critical Clean Energy Bill (SolarQuarter) 

• Massachusetts House eyeing climate bill as sprint to end of formal sessions starts (Boston Herald)

• Massachusetts Senate Republican blocks climate bill that targets natural gas access in the state (MSN)

• Will Mass. follow the lead of New York on climate change? (Franklin Observer) 

New Hampshire:

• Every New England state except New Hampshire has joined an effort to encourage the region’s power grid operator to create an executive-level environmental justice position to inform planning. (Connecticut Public) 

• New Hampshire’s dormant climate plan revived by Inflation Reduction Act - click here 

• Boston Globe Attack on Sununu Energy Stats Fails Basic Math (NH Journal)

• 2022: New Hampshire enacts an Energy Choice Bill! First in the Northeast! Senate Bill 86 signed by Governor Sununu!

New York:

• Business coalition urges Hochul to veto Climate Change Superfund Act (Times Union)

• NY Senate Republicans Outline Legislation To Delay Renewable Energy Transition (New York Now)

• What to know about NYS climate goals as state says it will miss the first one (archive.is) 

• ‘All-Electric Buildings’ law part of NY building code update  (Fingerlakes.com)

• New York likely to miss 70 percent renewable target, A new state report found a major statutory target three years off schedule. (Politico)

• NY power grid faces shortfalls as new energy supply lags, operator says (Reuters) 

• Environmentalists push to pass NY HEAT Act (Local SYR)

Rhode Island:

• A Rhode Island clean heat program plans to add $25 million in incentives for residents, small businesses, public buildings and other organizations to switch away from fossil fuels or help develop the HVAC industry workforce. (ecoRI) 

Vermont:

• With new draft rules, Vermont’s clean heat standard faces murky future (Canary Media)

• How you could save money on electric upgrades with Vermont home energy rebate program (Burlington Free Press)

• Vermont set to become first state in the nation to ‘make big oil pay’  (VT Digger) 

• While misinformation and early numbers abound, Vermonters still don’t know how much a clean heat standard would cost (VT Digger) 

• In Vermont, a draft report by the utility commission finds that the state might have to spend up to $17.3 billion to achieve the goals laid out in the Affordable Heat Act but achieve net benefits of $3.6 billion. (WCAX)

OTHER RESOURCES:

• Grills. Who is buying them? Why are they buying them and are they going to continue buying them? We have some answers. To access this report, please login to the HPBA website and download your copy from under the Resources tab or by clicking HERE. 

• Looking for market research reports? HPBA has them. Login to the HPBA website and view them under the Resources tab or by clicking HERE.