Briefings
What changed in environmental, land-use and permitting rules for development in New Jersey, New York, Connecticut and Pennsylvania: what happened, who is affected and the next date that matters.
- MediumNew Jersey
New Jersey holds October 15 hearings on a tighter power plant carbon cap from 2027
A pending state proposal would align New Jersey’s carbon allowance program with the regional model rule from January 2027; comments close November 7, and a separate hearing addresses allowance prices and bills.
ProposedAir & climateEnergy & grid - MediumWindham County, CT
Connecticut Siting Council keeps Plainfield waste-to-energy petition on declaratory-ruling track; hearing October 22
The Council declined on October 1, 2026 to convert the 45-megawatt Plainfield petition into a full certificate case. The declaratory-ruling proceeding continues, with a remote hearing on October 22, 2026 and a decision deadline stated as August 2, 2027.
- HighPennsylvania
Pennsylvania proposes cutting power to data centers first when the regional grid runs short
State utility regulators propose that utilities curtail large computing loads lacking their own new capacity before other customers in grid emergencies; comments are due 30 days after Bulletin publication.
ProposedEnergy & gridData centers - MediumConnecticut
Connecticut bars leases that bill tenants for utilities their own unit meter does not measure
From October 1, 2026, Connecticut leases signed or renewed cannot make tenants pay utility charges unless a separate meter measures their unit's own use; such terms are unenforceable.
FinalHousingEnergy & grid - HighConnecticut
Connecticut bars state solar approvals in towns above set land-area shares until July 2027
A temporary bar on Siting Council solar approvals in certain towns runs to July 1, 2027, and new emergency-contact and incident-reporting duties for generating facilities start October 1, 2026.
- MediumFairfield County, CT
Connecticut grants contested hearing on Brookfield gas compressor expansion before air permits issue, groups report
State environmental regulators have granted a trial-type hearing on air permits for two new gas turbines at the Iroquois pipeline's Brookfield station, according to Save the Sound; no date is set.
ProposedAir & climateEnergy & grid - HighNew Jersey
New Jersey large new loads could be curtailed first in emergencies from June 2027 under filing
On September 29, 2026 FERC accepted the regional grid operator's one-time capacity backstop but suspended it to February 28, 2027 for a paper hearing. A separate service that would curtail new large loads first, starting June 1, 2027, awaits a ruling PJM has asked for by October 12.
ProposedEnergy & gridData centers - MediumNew Jersey
New Jersey ends site plan and variance review for electric vehicle chargers at existing buildings
A law approved September 28, 2026 makes approval of EV charging equipment at existing service stations, retail sites and buildings a non-discretionary permit, limits local review to specific safety impacts, and reaches pending applications. It took effect immediately; the chapter text could not be read.
- LowConnecticut
Connecticut picks 63.4 MW of out-of-state solar in regional buy; energy strategy comments due October 16
DEEP and its New England partners announced 102.4 MW of solar selections on September 24, 2026, of which 63.4 MW are Connecticut's, all outside Connecticut, with delivery required by the end of 2032. Nuclear proposals are still under review. Written comments on the next Comprehensive Energy Strategy are due October 16, 2026.
ProposedEnergy & grid - MediumDauphin County, PA
Federal: Regulators find no significant impact from restarting Pennsylvania's Three Mile Island reactor
Federal nuclear and energy agencies issued a final environmental finding for the Crane Clean Energy Center restart, and the nuclear regulator upheld denial of a hearing; license decisions remain pending.
FinalEnergy & grid - LowLuzerne County, PA
Federal: Transco seeks approval for Luzerne County gas pipeline loop; party deadline October 13
Transco asked federal regulators on September 4 to approve a $54.7 million, 3.38-mile pipeline loop and compressor work in northeastern Pennsylvania; scoping comments are due November 2.
ProposedEnergy & grid - LowConnecticut
Connecticut nuclear bids still undecided as state prepares town opt-in host program and site grants
On September 24, 2026 DEEP said it is still evaluating nuclear proposals in its zero-carbon procurement. A 2025 law lets towns opt in to host advanced reactors and funds site readiness grants; two 2026 data-center bills were not taken up before the session ended on May 6.
ProposedEnergy & gridTaxes & incentives - LowClinton County, NY
New York permits North Country wind farm rebuild, cutting turbines from 54 to 25
The State's renewable siting office approved a 91-megawatt repowering of the Ellenburg wind farm in Clinton and Franklin Counties, about six months after finding the application complete.
FinalEnergy & grid - MediumNew York
New York awards contracts for 950 megawatts of grid batteries, including two Bronx projects
The State's first bulk storage solicitation contracted eight battery projects that are paid only once operating and must be in service by the end of 2030, alongside 13 wind, solar and hydro projects.
FinalEnergy & grid - MediumNew Jersey
New Jersey proposes lower renewable energy purchase targets for 2026 through 2029, comments due November 20
A proposal would cut the Class I renewable energy percentage that electricity suppliers must buy for each energy year from 2026 to 2029, which could lower demand and prices for Class I certificates. It is not in force. Comments close November 20, 2026; the notice lists no hearing.
ProposedEnergy & grid - MediumPennsylvania
Pennsylvania regulators examine who pays for data center grid costs; panel applications due October 14
The Public Utility Commission will hold a November 17 technical conference on allocating costs caused by data centers and other large loads, with written comments due November 13 and December 18.
ProposedData centersEnergy & grid - MediumNew York
New York approves 90-mile underground power line linking Long Island to Westchester; construction plans pending
The Public Service Commission adopted the settlement for the Propel NY Energy Project on September 17, 2026, but construction waits on approval of phased construction plans.
FinalEnergy & grid - MediumPennsylvania
Federal rule drops carbon capture mandate for new gas plants and repeals limits on existing units
EPA's September 17 rule, effective November 16, removes carbon capture requirements for new baseload gas turbines and existing coal and gas units, while a broader repeal proposal takes comments until November 2.
- MediumNew Jersey
New Jersey seeks comment by October 16 on new state approval of utility transmission upgrades
Under a law signed July 7, 2026, utilities must obtain a Board of Public Utilities certificate for supplemental transmission projects. The Board's September 2026 notice asks for information by 5 p.m. on October 16, 2026, and rules are due about 270 days after enactment.
ProposedEnergy & grid - MediumConnecticut
Connecticut approves Ellington orchard solar as farm agency says it cannot review non-prime soils
The Siting Council approved a 4.99-megawatt array on an orchard with soils of statewide importance, which fall outside the agriculture department's review, and applied the 2026 emergency-contact rule.
- HighNew York
New York issues voluntary $1 million per megawatt data center benchmark; DEC permit pause continues
The September 15 framework leaves the pause on DEC permits for large data centers in place and gives towns a voluntary contribution benchmark to use in negotiations, so site contract deadlines need review.
- MediumNew York
New York wind and solar projects face separate state siting and grid connection clocks
State siting permits for large wind and solar projects run on statutory deadlines, while grid connection runs on the grid operator's separate study cycle, which those deadlines do not govern.
FinalEnergy & grid - MediumWindham County, CT
Connecticut Siting Council closes record on 50-megawatt Sterling-Plainfield solar plan; decision due by February 2027
Docket 550, a 50-megawatt solar project on nine parcels in Sterling and Plainfield, closed its evidentiary record on August 11, 2026. About 43 to 45 acres of core forest would be cleared, the main contested point. The Council's final decision deadline, extended with the applicant's consent, is February 17, 2027.
- MediumHartford County, CT
Connecticut weighs Eversource's rebuild of 10.7 miles of power lines; comments due October 10
Petition 1720, filed September 8, 2026, asks the Siting Council to rule that Eversource's Southington to Berlin to Black Rock rebuild, estimated at $204 million, needs no certificate. It would replace 140 structures with 177, with taller poles. The schedule lists October 10, 2026 for comments and party requests.
ProposedEnergy & grid - MediumNew Jersey
New Jersey opens 300-megawatt community solar block for 5-to-20-megawatt projects on rooftops, landfills and contaminated sites
A September 9, 2026 BPU order implementing a new law lets community solar projects up to 20 MW register through December 31, 2028, sets a 33-month build window and defers escrow forfeiture. Eligible sites are limited to rooftops, landfills, contaminated sites and mining sites.
- MediumSalem County, NJ
New Jersey regulators will hear utility's 500-megawatt Salem County battery plan once its filing is complete
The state utility board named a presiding commissioner for Atlantic City Electric's request to own a 500-megawatt battery plant and recover its cost from customers, after staff found the petition incomplete.
ProposedEnergy & grid - HighNew Jersey
Federal: Appeals court voids New Jersey water certification for Raritan Bay gas pipeline expansion
The Third Circuit sent the Northeast Supply Enhancement certification back to New Jersey regulators, holding that monitoring plans needing only “review” and unexplained contaminant findings could not support it.
In courtEnergy & grid - HighNew Jersey
New Jersey proposes revised grid battery storage incentive rules and holds back rules for distributed storage
The notice describes how security, delay damages and incentive payments would work for large grid-scale storage projects, while rules for distributed storage await alignment with the virtual power plant program.
ProposedEnergy & gridTaxes & incentives - MediumHartford County, CT
Connecticut Siting Council bars early site work on battery storage, approves Manchester project
On July 2, 2026 the Council refused to let a 3.4-megawatt Manchester battery developer pour a pad before its ruling, citing state law; the decision is due by December 7. On September 4, 2026 it approved a 300-kilowatt library battery with a sound wall and fire conditions.
FinalEnergy & grid - MediumNew London County, CT
Connecticut Siting Council takes East Lyme solar farm to enforcement hearing over inverter swap and sale
State siting regulators will hear evidence on November 5 on whether the owner of a 5-megawatt East Lyme solar facility broke its approval by replacing equipment and changing hands without notice.
FinalEnergy & grid - LowNew Jersey
New Jersey bars landlords, associations and towns from banning small plug-in solar panels from March 2027
A new law exempts plug-in solar devices of up to 1,200 watts from utility interconnection and local permits, and voids lease and association rules that prohibit them.
FinalEnergy & grid - HighNew Jersey
New Jersey sets path for data center electric tariffs requiring 10-year payment guarantees and twice-yearly reporting
Two 2026 laws reach New Jersey data centers: a July 7 tariff law with an 85 percent, 10-year payment guarantee and priority curtailment, and an August 27 law requiring semiannual energy and water reports to the BPU. Board standards are due within 12 months of July 7.
- MediumRockland County, NY
Orangetown, New York, halts new data center and battery storage approvals for 180 days
A Rockland County town has frozen permits for data centers and battery systems while it rewrites its zoning, but data center applications filed before July 1, 2026 may proceed.
- MediumNew York
New York's water permit for Raritan Bay gas pipeline survives federal appeal as New Jersey's falls
A federal appeals court upheld New York's conditional water quality certification for the Northeast Supply Enhancement pipeline, weeks before another appeals court voided New Jersey's certification for the same project.
- HighPennsylvania
Pennsylvania requires local approvals before state permit review of large data centers
For new applications by data centers above 25 megawatts, a binding consent order allows rolling state review; data centers are removed from fast-track and the sales tax exemption is tied to the conditions.
- MediumNew York
Federal: New York grid operator has until November 16 to file data center connection rules
Federal energy regulators paused their challenge to New York's grid rules for loads of 50 megawatts or more, giving the grid operator and utilities 90 days to propose revisions on cost, co-location and flexible service.
ProposedEnergy & gridData centers - MediumNew York
New York regulators decline to cap solar and storage interconnection costs, require utility cost reporting
At its August 13, 2026 session the Public Service Commission declined to cap developers' interconnection upgrade costs and instead required utility cost and study-timeline reporting, with tariff amendments effective October 1, 2026 and annual filings from March 31, 2027, according to the Department and a copy of the order.
FinalEnergy & grid - MediumNew Jersey
New Jersey awards 16 farm-solar projects totaling 52 megawatts with farmland, soil and wetlands conditions
On August 12, 2026 the Board of Public Utilities conditionally approved 16 dual-use solar projects in eight counties and denied one on wetlands grounds. Awardees face 30- and 90-day filing deadlines, a state permitting meeting, and 15 years of annual farm reporting.
- MediumNew Jersey
Federal: Court returns Atlantic Shores offshore wind approval to federal agency, leaving it in force
A federal court has returned the New Jersey project's construction and operations plan approval to the federal ocean energy bureau for reconsideration without vacating it. A joint status report is due October 9, 2026, then every 60 days.
In courtEnergy & grid - MediumConnecticut
Connecticut approves Simsbury golf-course solar on prime farmland soils after developer pledges beekeeping and crops
The Siting Council approved a 4.65-megawatt array on a former golf course after the agriculture department relied on planned farming, and required a bond to restore the prime soils.
- MediumNew York
New York finalizes tighter carbon cap on power plants, effective January 1, 2027
DEC and NYSERDA adopted amendments, effective January 1, 2027, that lower the CO2 allowance budget, add a second cost-containment tier, raise the minimum reserve price and end offsets. The changes bear on electricity generating units and on projects whose economics depend on them.
- MediumFranklin County, PA
Pennsylvania: Franklin County transmission line draws over 100 protests; prehearing conference October 29
Transource's May 21, 2026 application to site a 28.8-mile 230 kV line and new Rice substation faces Public Utility Commission review. A new notice sets October 15 for protests and petitions to intervene and October 29 for an in-person prehearing conference in Harrisburg.
ProposedEnergy & grid - MediumPennsylvania
Pennsylvania act reported to require decommissioning security for leased-land solar and displace local rules
Act 44 of 2026, signed July 20, 2026, is reported to require financial assurance and removal within 18 months for commercial solar over 2 megawatts on leased land, and to displace municipal decommissioning provisions, with most provisions taking effect in January 2027. The statute text could not be read.
- MediumNew Jersey
New Jersey must invite proposals for new nuclear plants by January 9 under new law
The Power NJ Act sets a staged state approval for advanced reactors, paid through certificates electricity suppliers must buy, with no payment until a plant delivers power.
FinalEnergy & grid - MediumPennsylvania
Pennsylvania requires larger data centers to report energy and water use by July 2027
A budget-season amendment to the Fiscal Code makes data centers above 10 megawatts file annual energy and water reports with environmental regulators, with reported penalties of $10,000 a day.
- MediumNew Jersey
New Jersey requires state approval of utility-planned transmission lines, with 120- or 180-day review
A law signed July 7, 2026 requires utilities to obtain a Board of Public Utilities certificate before building PJM 'supplemental' lines of 100 kV or more. Review runs 120 or 180 days and the Board may not consider environmental impacts. The certificate requirement starts 90 days after BPU rules or at the 19th month after enactment, whichever is earlier.
ProposedEnergy & grid - HighNew York
Federal: Solar and wind projects not started by July 4 lose credits unless running by 2027
The federal clean-electricity credits end for solar and wind placed in service after December 31, 2027 unless construction began by July 4, 2026. That start date has passed, so for Northeast projects the record of when physical work began now governs which rule applies.
FinalEnergy & grid - HighNew York
New York's all-electric rule for new buildings survives federal appeal; start date unconfirmed
On June 30, 2026 the Second Circuit rejected a federal-preemption challenge to the State's ban on fossil-fuel equipment in new buildings. A court-approved stipulation suspends the State's rules until 120 days after the Second Circuit's mandate if no certiorari petition is timely sought; the mandate date and any petition were not confirmed.
In courtAir & climateEnergy & grid - MediumNew York
New York opens proceeding toward 4 gigawatts of new nuclear power; conference due by October 31
The Public Service Commission opened Case 26-E-0335 on June 11, 2026. Staff and NYSERDA must hold a public technical conference before October 31, 2026 and Staff a white paper by November 11, 2026. No host site has been announced in the sources read.
ProposedEnergy & grid - MediumNew York
New York towns adopt battery storage moratoria, including Waterford, Walton, Halfmoon and Huntington
Waterford's 180-day moratorium expires November 29, 2026, and Walton has adopted a one-year moratorium that also reaches pending applications. Halfmoon adopted an extension of its own on March 4, 2026, and Huntington has reportedly voted a six-month pause. Walton cites a study of fire safety and siting standards.
- MediumSteuben County, NY
New York appeals court upholds state wind permit and narrow standard for opponents seeking party status
The Appellate Division, Third Department, on May 14, 2026 affirmed a siting permit for a 147-megawatt wind project in Steuben County, holding that general objections do not earn opponents party status before the state siting office.
In courtEnergy & grid - MediumConnecticut
Federal: Proposed air permit rule would let some non-emitting site work start before the permit issues
EPA's May 13, 2026 proposal would redefine when construction begins under New Source Review so that foundations, utility service and similar non-emitting work could proceed before a permit. Comments closed June 29, 2026. It is not in force.
ProposedAir & climateEnergy & grid - MediumNew Jersey
New Jersey amends coastal permit law so nuclear plant review turns on proposed waste storage
A law approved April 8, 2026 amends the Coastal Area Facility Review Act so that DEP may approve a nuclear generating facility only if it finds the proposed waste storage or disposal method safe and consistent with Nuclear Regulatory Commission standards. It took effect immediately.
- HighPennsylvania
Pennsylvania regulators adopt model tariff guidance covering collateral and five-year terms for loads over 50 megawatts
The Public Utility Commission adopted a model tariff for large electric customers on April 30, 2026. It is guidance for each utility's own filing, not a rule, but it points to collateral, a five-year minimum term, 48 months' notice of exit and public interconnection queues.
FinalEnergy & grid - MediumNew York
New York regulator opens large-load grid connection review; technical conference due by December 31, 2026
A February 12, 2026 order opened a Public Service Commission proceeding on how to connect data centers and other large loads, including who pays for upgrades. Comments have closed; a staff technical conference is due before December 31, 2026 and a white paper within a year.
ProposedEnergy & gridData centers