IPP will keep one coal generator operating and the other on standby under new bill
Over the last few years the Utah Legislature has approved bills to keep Intermountain Power Plant's coal generators open for longer, going against its owners' plans to move to a cleaner energy project. Last year, lawmakers blocked the 2025 retirement of the fossil fuel units. And this year, they want to ensure that technical issues won't compromise the plant's coal energy production.
In November, during the Legislature's interim session, Rep. Colin Jack, R-St. George, unveiled HB70, a bill that banned the Intermountain Power Agency from disconnecting switchyard equipment from its coal-powered facilities while the agency builds and makes its transition to IPP Renewed, a multibillion-dollar natural gas project originally meant to replace coal power generation.
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Then, there were questions on whether the agency, which is owned by 23 Utah municipalities, would be able to deliver the state's request while keeping IPP Renewed on track. But, after some tweaks, IPA doesn't seem totally opposed to the legislation.
Disconnecting the two existing coal plants from the switchyard would mean that 'if somebody bought that power plant, they would have nowhere to go with the power and potentially disconnect the station service to the power plant, which would then make the power plant unusable,' Jack said on Friday.
New legislation looks to protect coal power generation as IPA prepares to hand over the reins
After a series of negotiations and a field trip to the plant, Jack changed his bill to specify that IPA should 'maintain' the facilities that provide power to ensure continued functionality, as opposed to the past language that forbade the agency from altering, removing, disabling or modifying its equipment.
The House Public Utilities and Energy Committee voted unanimously to recommend that last version. It will now go to the House floor for consideration.
The new version also requires IPA to keep critical switchyard equipment 'in a manner that ensures the ability to reactivate at least one of the project entity's coal-powered electrical generation units,' according to the bill.
This means that one of the coal units will remain connected, while the other will be put in standby mode to allow the new IPP Renewed generators to use the switchyard space to serve its main client — Los Angeles Department of Water and Power.
One of the reasons IPA was opposed to leaving its coal units operating past 2025 was because of a federal air quality permit that contemplated the retirement of the units. However, Jack said, through a report the Legislature requested, the state learned that 'there is room in the air permit for the two gas plants and one of the two coal plants.'
'And then it gives us time, brings 900 new megawatts into Utah, which have not been in Utah,' he said about the coal load sent to California. 'It lives in Utah, but it doesn't flow into Utah. This would allow it to flow into Utah.'
Cameron Cowan, the general manager for IPA, remained neutral in a public comment during the committee hearing.
'I do appreciate the conversations we've had with Rep. Jack. They've been very productive. We appreciate him listening to us and hearing our concerns and also trying to find collaborative solutions to address concerns for multiple stakeholders,' Cowan said, 'And we look forward to those continued conversations.'
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Miami Herald
3 hours ago
- Miami Herald
These states could redraw their House maps before the 2026 elections
WASHINGTON - Texas Republicans are moving forward with an effort to redraw the state's congressional map to be more favorable for the GOP, prompting states around the country to consider whether they too should revisit their district lines ahead of next year's midterm elections. The White House is encouraging at least one other state - Missouri - to join Texas in redistricting, while Democrats in California, New York and elsewhere are weighing how to respond if Texas lawmakers do finalize a new map. If Texas Republicans meet their own goal, the House GOP could be poised to win up to five additional seats just from the Lone Star State next year, which could be an important buffer as the party seeks to hold on to its slim majority. Some Democratic leaders have argued that they need to respond in kind. "We will fight them politically. We will fight them governmentally. We will fight them in court. We will fight them in terms of winning the hearts and minds of the people of Texas and beyond," House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries said Thursday at a news conference in the Lone Star State, flanked by Texas Democrats. Here's a rundown of the states that are considering redrawing their congressional maps ahead of the 2026 elections or that have been mentioned as potential spots for mid-decade redistricting: Texas Texas Republicans unveiled a draft map Wednesday that would shift several districts currently held by Democrats near the state's major cities and in South Texas. Such changes would bring more Republican-leaning voters into Democratic Rep. Julie Elizabeth Johnson's district northeast of Dallas and condense Democratic-leaning voters into just two districts in the Dallas-Fort Worth area. Democratic Reps. Henry Cuellar and Vicente Gonzalez's South Texas districts, which both went for Donald Trump last fall, would become more Republican-leaning. And the map would also dismantle a Democratic-held seat in Houston and another that stretches from Austin to San Antonio. All told, the five redrawn seats would each have backed Trump by at least 10 points in last year's election, according to an analysis by Sabato's Crystal Ball. Under Texas' current map, Republicans hold 25 House seats to 12 for Democrats, with one vacancy following Democrat Sylvester Turner's death in March. Besides legal challenges, Democrats in the Texas Legislature are also weighing a plan to deny their Republican counterparts a quorum to pass a redrawn map by fleeing the state, The Texas Tribune reported. State lawmakers are in special session until Aug. 19, which is essentially their deadline to approve a new map. Missouri The White House has reportedly urged Republicans in Missouri to alter the state's House map, under which the party currently holds six of eight seats. GOP Rep. Eric Burlison told St. Louis Public Radio that Trump wants state lawmakers to target Democratic Rep. Emanuel Cleaver II's seat in the Kansas City area. That would be doable, according to Republican Rep. Jason Smith. "There's some crazy jagged edges - in St. Charles County, in Clay and Jackson County near Kansas City," Smith told Punchbowl News. "And so I think that you could have a more compact map." Gov. Mike Kehoe, who would need to call a special session to redraw the map, has said officials in the state were weighing their options. "I think it's safe to say that in Missouri, along with other states, we're always trying to make sure that we have as much Republican representation because we believe that's who we are," he said, according to Ozarks Public Radio. Florida Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis is also among the Republican governors talking up the prospects of mid-decade redistricting, in what could be an effort to squeeze in at least one more GOP-favored district in the Sunshine State. He said Wednesday that redistricting "was something that we're looking at very seriously," though he admitted he hadn't yet talked to any members of the GOP-controlled state Legislature about it. His comments come after the Florida Supreme Court recently upheld the state's current map, which DeSantis had pushed through and that dismantled a Black-majority seat in northern Florida. Republicans currently hold 20 of the state's 28 House seats. Indiana In GOP-controlled Indiana, Republicans currently hold seven of the state's nine House seats, and Punchbowl News reported that Trump's allies are hoping for a mid-decade redraw to pick up at least one of the Democratic seats. Rep. Frank Mrvan's right-trending 1st District in the state's northwest corner could be a target. But to attempt such a redraw, Republican Gov. Mike Braun, a former senator, would need to call the legislature in for a special session, which he hasn't yet said he's planning to do. The state may also need to enact a law to allow mid-decade redistricting, according to The Downballot. Politico Playbook reported this week that there appeared to be "little-to-no appetite for remapping" among Indiana Republicans. California Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom has spoken openly about the prospects of redrawing his state's congressional lines in an effort to blunt the effects of the new Texas maps on the 2026 landscape. A retaliatory move wouldn't be as simple as what's playing out in Texas. Newsom and California Democrats would likely need to put the issue on the ballot to bypass the state's independent redistricting commission, which drew the current House map. Newsom said Thursday he is eyeing a November special election for voters to weigh in on any redrawn map that could help elect more Democrats in response to the efforts in Texas. "We will go to the people of this state in a transparent way and ask them to consider the new circumstances, to consider these new realities," Newsom said, according to CalMatters. California Attorney General Rob Bonta, a Democrat, told KCRA 3 that such a plan would be defendable in court. The regular session of the California Legislature ends Sept. 12, meaning state Democrats, who hold supermajorities in both chambers, have ample time to come up with a plan without a special session. California Democrats already hold a strong advantage in the state's House delegation under the commission-drawn map, holding 43 seats to Republicans' nine. Some Democratic lawmakers have expressed a willingness to run in more competitive seats if it would mean increasing the party's pickup opportunities under a new map. New York Democratic Gov. Kathy Hochul has been open to a redraw of the state's congressional map to favor her party. "I won't sit by while Donald Trump and Texas Republicans try to steal our nation's future," she posted Wednesday on X in response to the release of the draft Texas map. New York Democrats currently hold 19 House seats to seven for the Republicans under a map that was approved by the Democratic-controlled state Legislature after making modest changes to lines drawn by New York's independent redistricting commission. Legislative Democrats unveiled a measure this week that would amend the state constitution to allow New York to redraw its district lines mid-decade if another state did so first. But the legislation has a long path to becoming law, NBC News reported. Lawmakers would need to approve the measure in two consecutive sessions before it went to voters as a ballot measure. That would likely mean that any new map wouldn't take effect until the 2028 elections. Maryland The eight-member House delegation in deep-blue Maryland is, unsurprisingly, dominated by Democrats, with Rep. Andy Harris holding the lone Republican seat on the state's Eastern Shore. Maryland House Majority Leader David Moon has said he is drafting legislation to allow the state to respond to Texas by attempting its own redrawing, The Baltimore Banner reported. But during the last round of redistricting after the 2020 census, a state judge rejected a Democratic effort to make Harris' district more competitive as a "product of extreme partisan gerrymandering" that violated the state constitution. The Maryland legislature isn't expected to meet again until next year, according to the Banner. Illinois Democratic Gov. JB Pritzker met with Texas Democrats last week and suggested a redraw could be in the cards for his state in reaction to what transpires in Austin. "So as far as I'm concerned, everything's on the table in reaction to that. But I'd like them to understand that if they're going to take this drastic action, then we also might take drastic action to respond," Pritzker said, according to WLS. But that could be complicated because the current Illinois map already advantages Democrats, who hold 14 of the state's 17 seats - though Thursday's announcement that longtime Democratic Rep. Danny K. Davis will not seek reelection to his deep-blue Chicago-area seat could give the party an opportunity for some reconfiguration. Ohio Ohio was already set to see its congressional map redrawn this fall before the redistricting conversation went national. The Buckeye State is required under state law to redraw its lines before next year's elections, as its current map was crafted by the GOP-controlled Redistricting Commission without bipartisan support. Ohio Republicans hold major sway over the redistricting process. The GOP-led state legislature and the redistricting commission could each get a shot at redrawing the map with bipartisan support. But if bipartisanship proves elusive, Republicans would be able to pass a map on party lines, subject to certain restrictions. Ohio's House delegation currently includes 10 Republicans and five Democrats. Districts thought to be potential targets for Republicans include the ones represented by Democrats Marcy Kaptur, Emilia Sykes and Greg Landsman. Louisiana The Supreme Court punted on a decision on Louisiana's congressional map earlier this year and is set to rehear a challenge to the lines when it returns for its next term in the fall. That means it is possible there could be a third set of maps in three elections in the Bayou State by 2026. The map that the Supreme Court allowed to be used in 2024 created a second Black opportunity district. Democrat Cleo Fields won the seat and returned to the House nearly 30 years after his previous congressional stint. Wisconsin Opponents of Wisconsin's congressional map have launched more legal challenges since the state Supreme Court's liberal majority declined in June to hear a pair of lawsuits that called for a redrawing of district lines. Wisconsin Republicans hold a 6-2 advantage in House seats despite the state being a perennial battleground that sees some of the closest elections in the country. The current map, approved by the state high court's then-conservative majority in 2022, was submitted by Democratic Gov. Tony Evers under "least change" guidelines set by the court. The guidelines required mapmakers to hew as closely as possible to the previous map, which had been drawn by Republicans. Utah In Utah, there's ongoing litigation over whether the current district lines, put in place after the 2020 census, should have been drawn by an independent commission pursuant to a 2018 ballot initiative. Republicans control all four of the state's House seats after GOP state lawmakers split the Democratic-leaning Salt Lake City area between the four districts. Other states Several other states have earned mentions as places that could redraw their congressional lines, but prospects here appear remote. Kentucky and Kansas have lone Democratic representatives who could be targeted, and Republicans hold legislative supermajorities in both states. But the states' respective Democratic governors would be unlikely to call for a special session this year to redraw the maps. In New Jersey, where Democrats hold a governing trifecta, Gov. Phil Murphy is not ruling out a response to the action in Texas, but there seem to be no immediate plans to pursue efforts to target any of the Garden State's three Republican House members. The state may also be nearly out of time for voters to amend its Constitution and allow for mid-decade redistricting before the 2026 elections. Democrats in Washington state, where they also hold full control, have said mid-decade redistricting is almost certainly unlikely to happen, the Washington State Standard reported. Democrats already dominate the state's House delegation - holding eight of 10 seats, including one that Trump carried - under a map drawn up by a bipartisan redistricting commission. In Democratic-leaning Colorado, an independent redistricting commission, created by voter-approved 2018 constitutional amendments, drew the state's current map. The House delegation is currently evenly split between the parties, with four seats each. Former Rep. Yadira Caraveo, who is seeking a comeback in the competitive 8th District, has called on Gov. Jared Polis to take steps to scrap the redistricting commission in response to Texas. But such a move would face multiple hurdles, as Colorado Pols reported. Copyright (C) 2025, Tribune Content Agency, LLC. Portions copyrighted by the respective providers.
The Hill
6 hours ago
- The Hill
Democrats contemplate walkout in Texas
Democratic legislators in Texas could flee the state to prevent the GOP from approving new maps that could expand Republicans' congressional majority. Texas and national Democrats have vowed to fight back while blasting the GOP plans, which could give Republicans five more seats, as discriminatory. Visiting with Democratic state lawmakers in Austin, U.S. House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) vowed Thursday that 'all options' should be on the table to stop the GOP plan. But because Democrats are a minority in the state Legislature, they have few options to stop the GOP and face an uphill battle legally and politically. One very real option would be to seek to deny the quorum necessary to keep the Texas state House and Senate functioning, something Democrats might have the numbers to accomplish. 'Democrats don't have many arrows left in their quiver. There simply aren't a lot of things they can do to be able to challenge these maps in the near term,' said Brandon Rottinghaus, a political science professor at the University of Houston. A quorum break could be the 'nuclear option,' Rottinghaus said, 'because most members don't want to do it that way. They want to stay and fight.' 'But the problem is that they simply don't have a lot of tools legislatively, or in terms of their total numbers to stop or slow things here in Austin.' The map proposal, filed this past week during a special session called by Gov. Greg Abbott (R), comes after President Trump pressed Texas Republicans to draw new maps to protect the party's narrow 219-212 House majority. A public hearing before the state House's Select Committee on Congressional Redistricting was held Friday. Republican state Rep. Cody Vasut, chair of the redistricting panel, said he expects committee action in the coming days, followed by a full state House debate early next week. Specifics of the proposed lines could change as the plan works its way through the state chambers. But it's unlikely that Democrats have enough leverage in the state Legislature — where Republicans are 88-62 in the House and 19-11 in the Senate — to significantly change things in their favor. Faced with similar dynamics in 2003 and 2021, Democrats walked out to stall the Legislature on redistricting efforts and voting restrictions. 'Breaking quorum is a big task, and there's a lot of problems that come with it,' said Lana Hansen, executive director of Texas Blue Action, an Austin-based Democratic advocacy group. 'And I think this situation is particularly volatile because … this [redistricting] is a call from the president of the United States.' Fleeing would likely draw more attention to the brewing redistricting battle, but Abbott could continue to call sessions and the Democrats' absence would stall other business. A quorum break would also be expensive, due to new rules that impose fines for each day a lawmaker has fled, as well as the threat of arrest. Democrats are reportedly fundraising to help pay up if that happens, according to The Texas Tribune. 'In the past, it worked to sort of pause the conversation and start over,' Hansen said of the previous quorum breaks, but she noted that Republicans still got their way. 'At the end of it, it wasn't as successful as we had hoped.' Asked about a potential walkout, U.S. Rep. Lizzie Fletcher (D-Texas) told reporters Thursday that 'there are a lot of ways to fight.' Jeffries, asked whether he's urging Texas Democrats to break quorum, said ' all options should be on the table ' but deferred to Texas Democrats. If Democrats can't block the GOP efforts within the Legislature, they'll likely pursue legal action as leaders in and out of the state decry the proposal as discriminatory. Rep. Marc Veasey (D-Texas), one of the lawmakers whose district would be impacted, called the moves 'part of a long, ugly tradition of trying to keep Black and brown [Texans] from having a voice.' Rep. Jasmine Crockett (D-Texas) called it 'a power grab to silence voters and suppress votes.' Democrats' chances of success with potential legal challenges likely relies on the fate of the Voting Rights Act (VRA), said Mark McKenzie, an Texas Tech associate professor of political science who has practiced law in the state. A major Louisiana redistricting battle is set to be reheard by the Supreme Court next term, and Republicans are increasingly bullish on chipping away at the VRA. 'I think the Democrats, assuming the Supreme Court doesn't eviscerate the Voting Rights Act … would have a good case, in terms of African American majority districts in Texas and how they'll be impacted,' McKenzie said, noting that they might be harder pressed to argue the same of Latino voters, who have increasingly leaned toward the GOP in Texas. 'Legally speaking, the Democrats are not in a great position,' McKenzie added. The party appears to be gearing up for a political battle either way. 'The current map violates the law, and this congressional map will double and triple down on the extreme racial gerrymandering that is silencing the voices of millions of Texans,' Jeffries said Thursday in Austin. 'We will fight them politically. We will fight them governmentally. We will fight them in court. We will fight them in terms of winning the hearts and minds of the people of Texas and beyond.' House Majority PAC, a House Democratic super PAC, announced a new Lone Star Fund this week. It is hoping to raise millions for 2026 challengers if the lines are redrawn. 'If the GOP and the Trump administration think that Texas is the first state that they should look at doing this in, the place that he's most concerned with losing ground in, then we are in play, and my hope is that national investment will come this way,' Hansen said. 'There's still an opportunity for Democrats in Texas. We just might not be able to help flip to the congressional majority that we would like.' And Democrats may have avenues for offsetting GOP gains in Texas with redistricting efforts in other states. 'There's a phrase in Texas: 'what happens here sometimes changes the world.' Well, this is the case where what's happening here is setting off a cascade effect across the country,' said Jon Taylor, the University of Texas at San Antonio's department chair of political science. The developments in Texas have sparked congressional map conversations in several other states, including in California — where Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) has said the Golden State might make its own midcycle changes if Texas moves forward. There's also a chance that Lone Star State redistricting backfires on Republicans. For one, the party may appear more focused on redistricting than on deadly Independence Day floods, another special session agenda item. It may also be hard to predict midterm voting patterns. 'Just because Trump won in 2024 in certain parts and certain areas that are currently held by Democrats doesn't mean that's going to translate to success in a midterm election of '26, particularly a midterm election that, nationally, is expected to be potentially a wave election for Democrats,' Taylor said. 'So you could end up with a situation where you've drawn districts that are supposedly for, you know, friendly for Republicans, and all of a sudden, in a year where the economy is going south, Trump's opinion poll numbers continue to decline, you end up with Democrats winning in districts that were designed for Republicans.'
CBS News
15 hours ago
- CBS News
Schools and counties begin to see payment delays as Pennsylvania's budget stalemate hits a month
Democratic Gov. Josh Shapiro's administration says billions of dollars in aid to Pennsylvania's schools and human services will be delayed, as he and the politically divided Legislature struggle to end what is now a monthlong budget stalemate. State-supported universities, libraries, early-childhood education programs and county health departments also will see delays in payments, Shapiro's administration said in letters sent Tuesday to providers. "I recognize this information is concerning, and it is equally concerning to both me and the governor," Budget Secretary Uri Monson said in the letters. "Our administration continues to work diligently to find agreement between the House and Senate and we will work to support you and your organization as you manage the current situation." Borrowing isn't widespread by counties and school districts to cover for late state payments, and some have reserves they can tap. But borrowing may grow if the stalemate drags well into August. Budget stalemates are also playing out in Michigan and North Carolina, where Democratic governors are sharing power with Republican legislators. Without the governor's signature on a new spending plan, the Pennsylvania state government lost some of its spending authority starting July 1. Pennsylvania school districts, which received more than $11 billion last year from the state for operations, will see delays on more than $2 billion in payments through August, Shapiro's administration said. District officials have said the poorest districts might have to borrow money if aid is delayed in August, and the Pennsylvania School Boards Association says the stalemate is causing districts to reconsider how they spend, such as leaving teaching positions unfilled or putting off purchases of student laptops. A school board's official, Andy Christ, said the state didn't reimburse districts for the cost of borrowing during past stalemates. Universities, such as Penn State and state-run system schools, will see delays on more than $200 million in aid, and counties will not get on-time payments of $390 million to child welfare agencies, the Shapiro administration said. The County Commissioners Association of Pennsylvania said its members are "growing more and more concerned about the consequences" of the stalemate, particularly on human services such as mental health counseling, child welfare, and drug and alcohol treatment. More than $100 million in payments to a range of other agencies, nonprofits and programs will also be delayed, according to the administration, and it said it cannot distribute money to early childhood education providers. For weeks, Shapiro and top Republican lawmakers have said they are engaged in closed-door discussions to try to find a compromise. The state House and Senate have not scheduled voting sessions for this week. The biggest issues for Republicans are curbing Shapiro's $51.5 billion spending proposal — driven by a massive increase in Medicaid costs — and their push to regulate and tax tens of thousands of slot-machine-like cash-paying "skill" games that are popping up everywhere. Top priorities for Shapiro and Democrats are boosting funding for public schools and public transit agencies. During a stalemate, the state is legally bound to make debt payments, cover Medicaid costs for millions of Pennsylvanians, issue unemployment compensation payments, keep prisons open and ensure state police are on patrol. All state employees under a governor's jurisdiction are typically expected to report to work and be paid as scheduled. Michigan's Democratic-controlled Senate and the Republican-controlled House of Representatives remain far apart on numerous proposals, including funding for schools and roads. The chambers' leaders have accused each other of refusing to negotiate. If lawmakers and Democratic Gov. Gretchen Whitmer don't pass a budget by the Oct. 1 start of the state's fiscal year, they risk a government shutdown. In North Carolina, where Republicans control the Legislature, a budget deal likely isn't expected until late August at the earliest. Teacher and state employee salary raises, tax cuts and eliminating vacant government positions have been among the leading differences in competing spending plans. State government is in no danger of a shutdown, and the Legislature sent Democratic Gov. Josh Stein a stopgap spending plan on Wednesday. ___ Associated Press reporters Gary D. Robertson in Raleigh, North Carolina, and Isabella Volmert in Lansing, Michigan, contributed. Follow Marc Levy on X at:
