Environmental and Government News #10: 4/24/26

 Hello all, apologies for not writing in a while! I've been really busy with schoolwork, but I have the summer to write now! :) 


State Level

    Illinois lawmakers have advanced a bill that I've talked about a lot, the POWER Act. For those who aren't aware, the Power Act is a bill aimed at regulating the environmental impact of large AI data centers that is currently moving through the Illinois lawmaking system. The legislation would require new data centers to disclose their water and electricity usage and supply their own renewable energy sources. This issue is becoming increasingly important as Illinois hosts more than 220 data centers, with many more in the works. Environmental groups have argued that the unchecked growth of these data centers can hurt the electric grid, increase carbon emissions, and pollute water. Currently, the bill is in the Illinois General Assembly, so it needs committee approval before it can go to a full Senate/House vote. In my opinion, this is really great progress and hopefully the bill will be effective and enforced.


National Level

    The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has proposed weakening federal regulations regarding coal combustion residuals (aka coal ash). Coal ash contains toxic metals such as arsenic, mercury, and lead. Environmental advocates warn that loosening these disposal rules can lead to increasing groundwater contamination due to polluters. The EPA has said the changes would reduce regulatory burdens and support "energy dominance". In my opinion, this proposal prioritizes industry interests and corporate interests over environmental protection and public health. This is part of the ongoing fight between environmentalists and the Trump administration. 


Global Level

    Global climate reports released recently have found that April 2026 was the fourth-warmest ever recorded worldwide. Scientists also found record-low Arctic sea ice levels and warm ocean temperatures across the planet. These warming oceans and shrinking ice are increasing the severity of droughts, heat waves, and ecosystem disruption worldwide. This is all heavily due to accelerating climate change, and it becomes increasingly hard to take action until people accept that it is real. People need to take action, otherwise our planet will continue to suffer.


That's all, thank you for reading!

~Oscar







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