By Jeff Beach | Deputy editor
Georgia Power’s Plant Bowen, a coal-fired power station in Bartow County, Georgia, on July 28,2026. (Photo by Alander Rocha/Georgia Recorder)
By Jacob Fischler
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency will revoke limits on greenhouse gas emissions from power plants that run on coal and natural gas, according to regulatory documents Administrator Lee Zeldin signed Monday.
The administration framed the action to repeal 2024 limits on greenhouse gas emissions from virtually all power plants other than wind, solar or hydro-powered as lowering energy costs, which the war with Iran has driven up, as energy producers will save at least $310 million on compliance. The move could produce a tenfold increase in coal power, the agency said.
The Lignite Energy Council, which represents North Dakota’s coal industry, applauded the move.
Sen. Jerry Klein, R-Fessenden, listens during a discussion of the Legislative Procedure and Arrangements Committee on Sept. 14, 2026. (Photo by Jack Dura/North Dakota Monitor)
By Jack Dura
A legislative planning committee on Monday advanced pay increases of 3% as a starting point for North Dakota lawmakers in each year of the upcoming two-year budget cycle.
The Legislative Procedure and Arrangements Committee unanimously approved the numbers, which are for initial budgeting purposes and are not a final decision. That will come in the 2027 Legislature.
The 2025 Legislature adopted pay raises of 3% and 3% in the two years of the 2025-27 budget cycle. Raises for state employees and lawmakers are traditionally the same rate.
The U.S. Capitol building in Washington, D.C., amid fog on Dec. 10, 2024. (Photo by Jennifer Shutt/States Newsroom)
By Jennifer Shutt
Both chambers of Congress return to Capitol Hill this week for a brief session before heading back to the campaign trail until mid-November.
The House will be in for one week and the Senate for three, giving Republicans little time to enact any laws or confirm nominees before voters decide whether to give them another two years in power.
Lawmakers have already agreed to fund the government through Dec. 11, pushing off any need to reach bipartisan agreement on the dozen annual appropriations bills or risk a government shutdown. But they haven’t reached a compromise on several other measures.
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FROM STATES NEWSROOM
A mother and daughter are pictured at a protest against arrests of immigrants at green card appointments in Salt Lake City. Two lawsuits filed Monday challenge new federal guidance that could affect green card applicants who have used Medicaid or food assistance. (Photo by Annie Knox, Utah News Dispatch)
By Nada Hassanein
States, cities and counties filed a pair of lawsuits Monday challenging new federal rules that will allow immigrants’ use of safety net resources to be taken into account for green cards and other applications to stay in or enter the country.
The new federal policy goes into effect Friday and broadens the discretion of immigration officers reviewing applications for green cards, certain visas or admissions into the U.S., allowing officers to consider enrollment in public benefits, such as housing and food assistance, Medicaid and the Children’s Health Insurance Program, as something called “public charge.”
When officers determine a person could become dependent on government benefits, that “public charge” is a ground for inadmissibility under federal law. Such non-cash benefits were previously restricted from public charge consideration under the Biden administration.
Iowa Utilities Commission to decide on hearing dates for Summit pipeline changes | Iowa Capital Dispatch
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