The Maryland Public Service Commission will consider an application from CPV Backbone Solar LLC to develop a 175-megawatt solar photovoltaic project in Garrett County. The developer seeks to build the project on land previously used for coal mining with an approximate 1,170-acre construction limit. Construction of the project, which would involve a capital investment of about $250 million, is expected to take place from May 2022 to August 2023, subject to permitting restrictions. Maryland’s renewable portfolio standard requires 50 percent of the state’s electricity to be sourced from renewable energy by 2030, including 14.5 percent from solar.

The New York Public Service Commission is due to receive comments on Champlain Hudson Power Express Inc.’s proposed amendment to its high voltage, direct transmission line extending approximately 330 miles from the New York-Canada border to a converter station in Queens. The amendment would allow the addition of a new interconnection point in the Capital Region to enable power transmission from upstate renewable generation facilities to New York City. The commission granted a certificate of environmental compatibility and public need authorizing the construction, operation, and maintenance of the project in April 2013. Over the last two years, the commission has granted amendments to the certificate including route modifications, and revisions to increase the project capacity from 1,000 megawatts to 1,250 megawatts, and enlarge the footprint of the converter station. 10-T-0139, 10-00741

The Massachusetts Department of Public Utilities is due to receive comments on Eversource Energy’s application for adjustments of distribution rates and charges applicable to gas services. The company is seeking an adjustment in base revenue of $32.8 million, as well as $1.8 million related to property tax valuations for fiscal year 2021 and $2.5 million for prior period property tax expenses incurred and deferred from July through October 2021. The adjustments would result in a bill impact of about 6 percent for residential customers and 4-6.7 percent for commercial and industrial customers. 21-112

The Minnesota Public Utilities Commission will consider utilities’ transition plans to resume normal operations after the duration of the COVID-19 emergency. The discussion will focus on the Minnesota Housing Finance Agency’s request to suspend disconnections through April 2022 for customers who have applied for a rent help program seeking assistance to address utility arrears. The commission opened a docket in March 2020 to investigate the customer impacts and utility response to the pandemic. An order issued in August 2020 established monthly reporting for rate-regulated utilities, extended consumer protections for the duration of the emergency, and required transition plans before utilities resume disconnections. In May, the commission issued an order allowing utilities to resume residential disconnections in August 2021, subject to certain conditions, and directed utilities to maintain certain residential customer protections until April 2022. CI-20-375

The California Public Utilities Commission will consider Pacific Gas and Electric Company’s request to recover $445.4 million for certain wildfire-related insurance costs over a three-year period. In 2018, the commission authorized the company to establish a Wildfire Expense Memorandum Account to record costs associated with wildfire-related expenses, for the period from July 26, 2017 to Dec. 31, 2019, that had not already been authorized for recovery through ratepayers, including wildfire insurance premium costs. Last year, California regulators imposed about $1.9 billion in penalties against PG&E for its role in causing the catastrophic wildfires in 2017 and 2018. A2002004

The Michigan Public Service Commission will hold a technical conference on emergency preparedness, distribution reliability, and storm response following the repeated major power outages during extreme storms this summer. The commission intends to gather updated information to determine the next steps in addressing the outages and to explore the need for improvements with a focus on efforts that address environmental justice, equity, and cost to customers. The conference will feature panels and presentations by commission staff and stakeholders including representatives of consumer groups, environmental interests, utilities, small businesses, emergency responders, and affected communities. Another conference will be held on Nov. 5.