Cutting project delays: The Environmental Protection Agency on Tuesday proposed limiting states’ and Native American tribes’ power to wield the Clean Water Act to block major projects like natural gas pipelines, advancing the Trump administration’s goal of accelerating the construction of new fossil fuel infrastructure and data centers. The agency said new constraints on local water quality reviews for federally regulated projects will still allow states to protect their environment while preventing unnecessary delays. Read more from Associated Press.
Shrinking: The U.S. budget deficit shrank to $1.67 trillion for the 2025 calendar year, the smallest in three years, thanks mainly to a record surge in customs revenue. The deficit for the month of December was $145 billion, Treasury Department data shows. Read more from Bloomberg. A subscription may be required.
Under stress: America’s AI boom is straining the nation’s largest power grid. PJM, which serves 67 million people across 13 states, warns that surging data center demand, retiring power plants and political gridlock are driving rate hikes and raising the risk of rolling blackouts during heat waves and deep freezes. Read more from The Wall Street Journal.
