Gridley city officials have approved wage increases as part of a new contract agreement with IBEW union members. The deal includes raises for electrical workers and represents progress in ongoing labor negotiations.

Power generation outages are expected to increase significantly on the nation's largest electric grid. The anticipated surge raises concerns about grid reliability and highlights the critical need for skilled electrical workers to maintain infrastructure.

Gas-fired power plant development in the US nearly tripled in 2025, driven primarily by energy-hungry AI data centers. More than a quarter of all global gas power pipeline projects are now in the US, with over a third of newly proposed capacity explicitly linked to data center projects. The boom raises concerns about long-term emissions and threatens to derail climate goals.

Trump administration officials have delayed finalizing the repeal of EPA's 2009 "endangerment finding" - the scientific foundation for most federal climate regulations - over concerns the proposal is too legally weak to withstand court challenges. The finding underpins greenhouse gas rules for vehicles, power plants, and other major pollution sources.

IBEW Local 601 members protested outside a 16-story high-rise construction project in Champaign-Urbana, opposing the hiring of Bonus Electric Construction Company. Union members say the out-of-region contractor pays substandard wages below the area standard established by the IBEW, undermining wages and benefits local electrical workers have fought to maintain.