Clean air clampdown - Sen. Mike Lee (R-UT) introduced legislation on Thursday that would prohibit the EPA from issuing Clean Air Act regulations deemed to exceed congressional intent, including rules restricting internal combustion engine vehicles, requiring power plants to switch fuels, reducing grid reliability, or mandating technologies considered economically or practically infeasible. The bill would also clarify that California Clean Air Act waivers, including those supporting EV mandates, fall within the definition of EPA regulations subject to the proposed limits.

Data centre dive - The US House Science, Space and Technology Committee advanced legislation Thursday that would allow the National Institute of Standards and Technology, in consultation with the DOE, to develop best practices and technical standards for measuring data centre energy and water use, including use tied to AI training, inference, and other compute-intensive processes. The committee approved H.R. 9372 in a 34-1 vote, with Rep. Daniel Webster (R) the only no vote. The bill would also support research into data gaps, forecasting risks, standardised metrics, data-sharing mechanisms, and coordination with federal, state, academic, industry, and international standards groups.

Loosening liability - State and local officials led by California Attorney General Rob Bonta urged congressional Democrats on Monday to reject Republican legislation that would shield oil and gas companies from climate lawsuits seeking compensation for the costs of climate change, E&E News reported. The Stop Climate Shakedowns Act, introduced by Sen. Ted Cruz and Rep. Harriet Hageman, would block more than a dozen state and local cases accusing fossil fuel companies of misleading the public about the risks of burning fossil fuels. In a letter, 21 attorneys general and local officials argued the bill would undermine their authority to use state laws to protect residents, comparing the climate cases to past litigation against opioid, tobacco, and social media companies.

Holding on - State regulators are still incorporating the US EPA’s 2024 carbon standards into permits for new gas plants, even as the Trump administration moves to repeal the rules, E&E News reported. Georgia, Ohio, and Pennsylvania included emissions limits or compliance steps tied to the rule’s first phase, while North Dakota acknowledged the standard applies but delayed setting a numerical limit, citing regulatory uncertainty. The permits show utilities remain exposed to uncertainty over whether the Biden-era rules will be repealed, upheld, or revived through future litigation.