EPA Tightens Turbine NOx; OSHA Delays Compliance

EPA Tightens Turbine NOx; OSHA Delays Compliance

Bread and Circus: The Complete Record of American Governance

What Happened Yesterday:

• 🦅 Executive Branch: 3 documents (1 Proposed Rule, 2 Rules)
• 🏛️ Legislative Branch: 3 documents (1 Congressional Record - Daily Digest, 1 Congressional Record - House Section, 1 Congressional Record - Senate Section)
• ⚖️ Judicial Branch: No activity
• 📊 Economic Indicators: 2 documents (1 Bureau of Labor Statistics press release, 1 Pew Research report)
• Total words condensed: 207,386 into 1,835

The Big Picture

Pattern to Watch

🦅 Executive Branch

Federal Register

• The Department of Labor’s OSHA pushed back the deadlines for its Hazard Communication rule (the rule that tells companies how to label chemicals and teach workers about hazards) by four months: companies that make, bring into the U.S., or sell single chemicals now have to follow the new rule by May 19, 2026 (was Jan. 19, 2026); for single chemicals, workplaces must update labels, safety plans, and worker training by Nov. 20, 2026 (was July 20, 2026); companies that evaluate chemical mixtures must meet the rule by Nov. 19, 2027 (was July 19, 2027); and for mixtures, workplaces must update labels, plans, and training by May 19, 2028 (was Jan. 19, 2028); the change is effective Jan. 15, 2026. This matters because it gives businesses more time to get official guidance and properly update labels and training so workers keep getting correct safety information about the chemicals they handle.  Read full document →
• On January 15, 2026, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) withdrew a proposed rule it had published on September 26, 2023, that would have required rocket upper stages (the large second parts left in space) and other launch pieces to be removed from orbit within 25 years of launch; because the proposal is withdrawn, there is no new legal rule and no one must follow the 25‑year requirement now (the FAA said it will study 40 public comments and may act later). This matters because the proposed change would have affected commercial rocket companies and could have added costs, and cleaning up space debris helps protect satellites that people use every day for phones, internet, weather, and GPS.  Read full document →
• The EPA set new national limits for air pollution from new or changed big industrial engines called stationary combustion turbines (those with heat input at peak load of 10.7 GJ/h or 10 MMBtu/h or more) in a rule effective January 15, 2026; owners or operators of turbines that were built, rebuilt, or changed after December 13, 2024 must meet the new rules by January 15, 2026 (or when the unit starts up, if later). The rule splits turbines by size (small ≤50 MMBtu/h, medium >50–≤850 MMBtu/h, large >850 MMBtu/h), by how much they run each year (high if over 45% of the year), and by efficiency, and sets new nitrogen oxide (NOX) limits such as 5 ppm for new large high‑use natural‑gas turbines, 9 ppm for some large lower‑efficiency turbines, 15 ppm for many medium high‑use turbines, and 25 ppm for most medium and all small turbines (with higher ppm limits for non‑natural gas fuels); sulfur dioxide (SO2) limits stay the same (about 0.060 lb/MMBtu). This matters because NOX and SO2 help form smog and fine particles that make people sick; the rule aims to cut pollution and protect health while giving clearer, faster rules for temporary and emergency turbines and some smaller units (for example, temporary turbines can run up to 24 months at a site under a simpler 25 ppm limit for natural gas).  Read full document →

🏛️ Legislative Branch

Congressional Record

• On January 15, 2026, Congress took several steps: the Senate passed H.R.6938, the big spending bill that funds many federal programs through September 30, 2026, by a vote of 82 to 15 after a separate vote of 85 to 14 to end debate on the bill; the Senate also began action on S.3627, the Pregnant Student’s Fairness Act, and set a cloture (end-of-debate) vote for January 26, 2026; the Senate agreed by unanimous consent to return papers on H.R.1834 (the Breaking the Gridlock Act) to the House and set pro forma meeting dates; and the House passed H.R.2988, the Protecting Prudent Investment of Retirement Savings Act, by a vote of 213 to 205 (a motion to recommit failed 206 to 210) and adopted an amendment requiring a GAO study by 395 to 22. These actions matter because they fund the government, move student and retirement rules closer to law, and set the schedule for more votes.  Read full document →
• Random excerpts from the Senate

  Do you hear that, America? This is what Donald Trump’s golden age looks like: a piece of chicken, a piece of broccoli, a tortilla, and something else that the Secretary of Agriculture forgot. The people who run this administration are just not serious. This is an insulting way to talk to the American people, telling them: Just get by with less, and stop complaining about affordability.

  — Sen. Charles E. Schumer (D-NY)

  NCAR is our safety net, and dismantling it to combat so-called climate alarmism is the policy equivalent of sticking your fingers in your ears and yelling ``la, la, la’’ to drown out the tornado that is rearranging your living room. Without NCAR, our country isn’t safer; we are just more unprepared. NCAR also conducts the research on space weather. This allows us to know what threats there are for our satellites, especially our GPS satellites, which are crucial for the health of our infrastructure, not to mention our weather forecasting.

  — Sen. John W. Hickenlooper (D-CO)
  Read full document →
• Random excerpts from the House

  I am going to be honest. I cannot believe we are still engaged in this anticapitalist doublespeak; but if my Republican colleagues are going to keep bringing bills to the floor to destroy the fabric of our market-based economy, I am going to keep standing up for it. Let’s be clear: ERISA already requires fiduciaries to act solely in the financial interests of plan participants and beneficiaries. H.R.2988 does not strengthen that standard.

  — Rep. Sean Casten (D-IL-6)

  Mr. Speaker, I rise to call out President Trump for abusing his power, acting in secrecy, and threatening our safety, all while failing to address the rising costs in America. Trump is deploying ICE to our neighborhoods to terrorize our immigrant communities. His operations rely on brutal tactics, avoiding deescalation and due process against U.S. citizens. Although the administration claims it is only targeting undocumented criminals who pose a threat, we know that is an outright lie. At every turn, the administration erodes any trust it has ever had with the public.

  — Rep. Andrea Salinas (D-OR-6)
  Read full document →

⚖️ Judicial Branch

📊 Economic Indicators

Bureau of Labor Statistics

• From September to November 2025, U.S. import prices rose 0.4% and export prices rose 0.5%; compared with a year earlier, import prices were up 0.1% and export prices were up 3.3%. Fuel imports fell 2.5% in the two months and dropped 6.6% from a year ago (petroleum down 8.4%), but import natural gas jumped 51.4% year‑over‑year. Nonfuel imports rose 0.6% from Sept–Nov and 0.7% year‑over‑year (nonfuel industrial supplies +4.6%), while import foods fell 2.0% year‑over‑year. Import capital goods prices were up 1.5% year‑over‑year; import autos were down 1.4%. On the export side, agricultural exports rose 1.3% from Sept–Nov and 2.6% year‑over‑year, and nonagricultural exports rose 0.4% from Sept–Nov and 3.3% year‑over‑year (export capital goods +2.1%). These changes mean U.S. sellers are getting higher prices for many exported goods (which can help factory and farm income and jobs), consumers may see lower costs from cheaper petroleum, but some businesses and households could face higher energy bills because natural gas prices are much higher. Note: some October data are missing because the government did not collect survey data during the October 2025 shutdown.  Read full document →

Pew Research

• Pew surveyed 5,111 U.S. adults in October 2025 about whether the country is gaining or losing ground in science and about science funding. They found 84% of Americans say government investments in scientific research are worthwhile and 15% say they are not; 93% of Democrats and 76% of Republicans say those investments are worthwhile. About two‑thirds of Democrats (roughly 67%) say the U.S. is losing ground in science compared with other countries, while about one‑third of Republicans (about 33%) say the country is losing ground (a 33‑point gap between the parties). Republicans are more likely to say private money can drive progress (54%), while about eight‑in‑ten Democrats (around 80%) say government funding is essential. These findings matter because they show most people support science funding but deep partisan splits over how the U.S. is doing and who should pay, which can affect future government budgets, research priorities, and America’s global role in science.  Read full document →

Sources Covered Today

• Federal Register: Hazard Communication Standard
• Federal Register: Mitigation Methods for Launch Vehicle Upper Stages on the Creation of Orbital Debris; Withdrawal
• Federal Register: New Source Performance Standards Review for Stationary Combustion Turbines and Stationary Gas Turbines
• Congressional Record: Congressional Record - January 15, 2026 - Daily Digest (Vol. 172, No. 11)
• Congressional Record: Congressional Record - January 15, 2026 - House Section (Vol. 172, No. 11)
• Congressional Record: Congressional Record - January 15, 2026 - Senate Section (Vol. 172, No. 11)
• BLS: U.S. Import and Export Price Indexes
• Pew Research: Do Americans Think the Country Is Losing or Gaining Ground in Science?

• Presidential actions issued: 0
• Regulations: 3
• Bills presented to president: 0
• Bills that became law: 0
• Supreme Court opinions issued: 0
• Supreme Court oral arguments: 0