Yesterday, the Trump EPA and the Army Corps proposed a narrower definition of the "waters of the U.S.". Trump administration officials said the proposal conforms with Sackett v. EPA, the 2023 Supreme Court ruling that asserted that only wetlands that directly touch a relatively permanent waterway – like a river or lake – fall under the scope of the Clean Water Act. The EPA believes the new definition will clarify decades of confusion over which wetlands and bodies of water require federal permits for construction projects.

And according to new analysis, electricity price inflation is having a real impact, with a surge in people falling behind paying their utility bills. Past due balances to utility companies jumped 9.7% annually to $789 between the April-June periods of 2024 and 2025. The increase has overlapped with a 12% jump in monthly energy bills during the same period.

And NMA president and CEO Rich Nolan argues in a new op-ed that Congress has a mandate to act on the nation's minerals challenges. He writes in Real Clear Energy, Congress can build on the Trump administration's momentum to reshore supply chains and defang China's mineral weapon with three achievable actions that can immediately help get shovels in the ground – with permitting reform, the Mining Regulatory Clarity Act and a fix for the 45X tax credit rounding out the list.