Greenhouse gas

Ohio's newly released school report cards, published by the Ohio Department of Education and Workforce, show modest statewide gains in English language arts and math proficiency, along with a decline in chronic absenteeism. Cleveland Metropolitan School District, the region's largest, continued to fall short of state standards. East Cleveland City School District, however, maintained a 3-star rating for a second consecutive year after previously spending seven years under academic distress status, a milestone district leaders point to as evidence of sustained improvement.

The report cards give families and policymakers a benchmark for evaluating school performance across areas including early literacy and graduation rates, with tools available for residents to review results by county. The results come as debates continue over education funding, accountability standards, and district-level turnaround efforts in Ohio, with East Cleveland's continued progress drawing particular attention given its history of low performance.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency announced it is repealing greenhouse gas regulations on power plants established under the Biden administration, proposing to rescind nearly all remaining federal carbon standards for the power sector. The agency argues the 2024 Carbon Pollution Standards exceeded its authority under the Clean Air Act by mandating technologies it says are not proven at scale, effectively forcing plants to retire. EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin said the move protects reliable, affordable energy and reverses what he called a "war on coal." The agency projects billions in ratepayer savings, including $370 million in direct compliance costs.

Environmental groups, including the Ohio Environmental Council, League of Conservation Voters, and Natural Resources Defense Council, condemned the rollback, warning of health risks and continued high electricity costs while benefiting utilities and polluters. Industry groups such as the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association and National Mining Association praised the decision, calling the prior rules unworkable given rising energy demand. A public hearing and 45-day comment period must occur before the new rules take effect.

California continues to expand electric vehicle adoption even as the Trump administration works to slow the national EV transition. Federal actions have eliminated the $7,500 EV tax credit, rescinded the endangerment finding underpinning vehicle emissions regulation under the Clean Air Act, revoked California's authority to set stricter-than-federal emissions standards, and overturned the state's EV sales mandate. The administration also froze funding for the National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure program, though a federal judge ruled that freeze unlawful.

Despite a national sales slowdown following the loss of the federal rebate, California's EV sales share held up: about 19% of new car sales in the state were zero-emission vehicles in the second quarter of 2025, nearly three times the national rate. Roughly 1 in 12 vehicles on California roads are now zero-emission. The state also led the nation in new fast-charging stations added last quarter and now has more public chargers than gas pumps. California is currently defending its 2035 gas-car sales ban in court, a case that could determine the future pace of its emissions strategy.

California advocacy groups battling Gov. Gavin Newsom over labor rules, artificial intelligence regulation, transportation funding, and cap-and-trade policy are increasingly pressuring him outside California, betting that his likely 2028 presidential ambitions give them new leverage. Transit advocates have run newspaper ads in South Carolina and Nevada targeting Newsom-backed climate program changes, a business group put up a Times Square billboard attacking his record, and labor leaders have warned they will confront him on the campaign trail over AI and workplace protections if he does not act. Labor leaders from Iowa and North Carolina have publicly said they will meet him at events like the Iowa State Fair unless he negotiates on AI and worker protections.

Strategists say the tactic aims less at swaying votes now than at forcing unresolved Sacramento fights into a national narrative before rivals or opposition campaigns can weaponize them. California Labor Federation President Lorena Gonzalez says talks with Newsom's office have intensified, including after labor allies confronted him during a Texas trip, and that he now discusses AI as a threat to workers. Newsom's office insists out-of-state pressure campaigns do not affect his decisions, though analysts remain split on whether the tactic builds his name recognition or exposes real vulnerabilities as his term nears its end.