Featured Stories
SBA Opens Business Recovery Center in Wisconsin
WASHINGTON, July 16 -- The Small Business Administration's Office of Disaster Assistance issued the following news release:
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SBA Opens Business Recovery Center in Wisconsin
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Honor America's 250th anniversary by taking the Freedom 250 Small Business Pledge. Sign up now to get your free certificate.
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Original text here: https://www.sba.gov/article/2026/07/16/sba-opens-business-recovery-center-wisconsin
NASA's Perseverance Rover Reads Record of Ancient Mars Impacts
PASADENA, California, July 16 (TNSres) -- NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory issued the following news:
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NASA's Perseverance Rover Reads Record of Ancient Mars Impacts
Old rocks exposed on the rim of Jezero Crater preserve a roughly 4-billion-year-old cosmic "weather report" from the solar system's most dynamic era.
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NASA's Perseverance Mars rover has uncovered evidence that a 245-foot-thick (75-meter-thick) stack of ancient rock on the rim of Jezero Crater was built by repeated asteroid impacts. Referred to as the "Broom Point member" by the rover's science team, this sequence of layered
... Show Full Article
PASADENA, California, July 16 (TNSres) -- NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory issued the following news:
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NASA's Perseverance Rover Reads Record of Ancient Mars Impacts
Old rocks exposed on the rim of Jezero Crater preserve a roughly 4-billion-year-old cosmic "weather report" from the solar system's most dynamic era.
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NASA's Perseverance Mars rover has uncovered evidence that a 245-foot-thick (75-meter-thick) stack of ancient rock on the rim of Jezero Crater was built by repeated asteroid impacts. Referred to as the "Broom Point member" by the rover's science team, this sequence of layeredbedrock is likely more than 3.9 billion years old, making it among the oldest terrain ever examined by a Mars rover.
Released Wednesday in the Journal of Geophysical Research: Planets (https://agupubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1029/2026JE009779), the findings offer a window into one of the most tumultuous chapters in the history of the solar system.
"Since leaving Jezero, Perseverance has been exploring a brand-new frontier, both geographically and geologically -- a chapter of Martian time that predates the crater itself," said Ken Farley, Perseverance deputy project scientist at Caltech in Pasadena, California. "On Earth, our earliest geologic history has been fundamentally broken up, deformed, and erased by plate tectonics. Because Mars lacks plate tectonics to recycle its crust, this ancient record remains intact, giving us a rare glimpse into a geological time period that doesn't exist on our own planet."
Reading between layers
After ascending the western rim of Jezero Crater in late 2024, Perseverance began examining surrounding locations with its science instruments. Their data at Broom Point revealed six distinct rock types, including breccias -- rocks composed of angular fragments -- alternating with layers of fine-grained, pulverized rock dust. Rock fragments within the breccias are pocked with gas-bubble cavities, indicating they were once molten.
The presence of tiny, dark, glassy beads within the layers offered an important clue about how these rocks formed. While volcanoes can produce similar glassy droplets, they rarely occur in such high abundance, pointing to asteroid impacts, instead, as the primary architect. In fact, the largest beads rival those flung out by the dinosaur-killing Chicxulub asteroid's impact on Earth.
The repetition of these distinct rock types multiple times throughout this thick sequence of rock indicates that high-energy impact events happened again and again across this region of early Mars.
"The different rock layers are a record of variable-sized impacts occurring at different distances from where this rock sequence was accumulating," said Alex Jones, a Ph.D. student in planetary geology at Imperial College London and lead author of the paper. "Some large impacts took place very far away, some small impacts nearby. Their debris all ended up landing here, constructing this thick section of rock."
How these layers formed may suggest an interaction with water or ice. Several of the layers look like they may have been formed by fast, ground-hugging debris flows. On Earth, these powerful, fluidlike surges can occur when molten rock hits water or ice that instantly flashes into steam.
Cosmic one-two punch
Some of Broom Point's layers tilt at angles exceeding 80 degrees -- nearly vertical -- which is far too steep to be caused by the impact that created Jezero Crater.
Instead, scientists suspect a cosmic "one-two punch" shaped this landscape long ago. First, a colossal asteroid impact created the 1,200-mile-wide (1,900-kilometer-wide) Isidis Basin, one of the largest impact basins on Mars, upending and tilting the once-flat rock layers. Later, a second asteroid likely struck, forming Jezero Crater, which measures 28 miles (45 kilometers) across. This second impact fractured and uplifted the already-tilted rocks into the dramatic formations the rover sees today.
To pin down exactly when these events took place, the Perseverance team collected two core samples, dubbed "Bell Island" and "Main River." If a future mission were to return them to Earth, laboratory dating could determine when and how often impacts were occurring on early Mars -- and, by extension, the infant Earth, whose own early impact record has been erased by billions of years of plate tectonics.
"During this violent era, it wasn't rain or snow falling from the sky, but an almost constant barrage of molten rock droplets and pulverized dust kicked up by asteroid impacts," said Jones. "If we can pin down the ages of these layers, it would be like reading a cosmic weather report from 4 billion years ago."
More about Perseverance
NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California, which is managed for the agency by Caltech, built and manages operations of the Perseverance rover on behalf of the agency's Science Mission Directorate in Washington, as part of NASA's Mars Exploration Program portfolio. Arizona State University leads the operations of the rover's Mastcam-Z instrument, working in collaboration with Malin Space Science Systems in San Diego, on the design, fabrication, testing, and operation of the cameras. SuperCam is led by Los Alamos National Laboratory in New Mexico, where the instrument's Body Unit was developed. The rover's SHERLOC (Scanning Habitable Environments with Raman and Luminescence for Organics and Chemicals) instrument was built at NASA JPL, and its WATSON (Wide Angle Topographic Sensor for Operations and eNgineering) camera was built at Malin Space Science Systems.
For more information on NASA's Perseverance, visit:
https://science.nasa.gov/mission/mars-2020-perseverance
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Original text here: https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/nasas-perseverance-rover-reads-record-of-ancient-mars-impacts/
EPA Proposes Updated Residential Soil Cleanup at Vega Baja Superfund Site in Puerto Rico
WASHINGTON, July 15 -- The Environmental Protection Agency issued the following news release:
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EPA Proposes Updated Residential Soil Cleanup at Vega Baja Superfund Site in Puerto Rico
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Vega Baja, P.R. \- U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is proposing to update the cleanup plan for the Vega Baja Solid Waste Disposal Superfund site in Puerto Rico to better protect residents from lead in soil. EPA is taking this step after reviewing recent sampling results under current science that calls for a more protective look at lead in residential areas. Under the proposed update, EPA would
... Show Full Article
WASHINGTON, July 15 -- The Environmental Protection Agency issued the following news release:
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EPA Proposes Updated Residential Soil Cleanup at Vega Baja Superfund Site in Puerto Rico
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Vega Baja, P.R. \- U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is proposing to update the cleanup plan for the Vega Baja Solid Waste Disposal Superfund site in Puerto Rico to better protect residents from lead in soil. EPA is taking this step after reviewing recent sampling results under current science that calls for a more protective look at lead in residential areas. Under the proposed update, EPA wouldclean up eight additional residential properties and sample four nearby properties to determine whether more cleanup is needed on those properties.
"Families should not have to worry about lead in the soil around their homes," said EPA Regional Administrator Michael Martucci. "EPA is using current science and recent sampling to guide additional cleanup where it is needed to better protect the Brisas del Rosario community."
The Vega Baja site includes a residential area and a nearby area that was formerly used as a municipal solid waste disposal facility from 1948 to 1979. Homes were later built on portions of the former disposal area, potentially exposing residents to lead and other heavy metal contamination.
EPA selected the original soil cleanup plan in 2010. Under that plan, EPA removed contaminated soil from residential properties, placed clean soil in excavated areas and restored the properties. EPA also consolidated some contaminated soil in an area and covered it and required land-use restrictions where contamination remained in place.
The proposed update would use a similar cleanup approach as in the original plan, but uses more stringent clean up levels to dictate where soils must be addressed. EPA would remove lead-contaminated soil from the additional residential properties, dispose of the soil off-site, place clean soil in excavated areas, and restore disturbed areas with vegetation.
EPA would also install protective barriers where digging is not possible and use property restrictions where contamination remains accessible to prevent contact with contaminated soil.
EPA will hold an information session on July 17 th, 2026, from 5-7 p.m., at the Pentecostal Church Monte de Sion to provide an overview of the cleanup proposal and answer community questions. In addition, the Puerto Rico Department of Health will separately conduct free finger-prick tests for lead in blood for anyone who is interested.
The proposed update (formally called an Explanation of Significant Differences) and supporting documents will be available on the Vega Baja superfund site profile page Exit EPA's website
Background
Since the 1970s, EPA has worked alongside partners at the federal, state, Tribal, and local levels to protect children's health and make progress in reducing lead exposures and lead-related health risks. Despite improvements over the last 50 years, ongoing exposures to lead where our families live, work, and play present a health risk, especially to children.
To combat this issue, in 2025 the Trump EPA reestablished a committee of senior leaders across the agency's program offices and ten regions to drive success in reducing children's exposure to lead. This renewed agency-wide focus is centered around strengthening cooperative federalism, streamlining actionable risk communications, and unleashing private sector innovation to protect human health and the environment.
Please see epa.gov/lead Exit EPA's website for additional information.
Follow EPA Region 2 on X Exit EPA's website, Instagram Exit EPA's website, and visit our Facebook Exit EPA's website page. For more information about EPA Region 2, visit our website Exit EPA's website.
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Original text here: https://www.epa.gov/newsreleases/epa-proposes-updated-residential-soil-cleanup-vega-baja-superfund-site-puerto-rico
Comments of the National Academy of Medicine on OMB's Proposal to Alter the Federal Grantmaking Process
WASHINGTON, July 15 -- The National Academy of Medicine issued the following news:
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Comments of the National Academy of Medicine on OMB's Proposal to Alter the Federal Grantmaking Process
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The approach the United States has taken to funding biomedical and health research for more than seven decades rests on a straightforward premise: awards are chosen through rigorous, independent, competitive peer review, within priorities that elected leaders set through statute and appropriations. That approach has delivered enormous returns, including steep declines in deaths from cancer, heart disease,
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WASHINGTON, July 15 -- The National Academy of Medicine issued the following news:
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Comments of the National Academy of Medicine on OMB's Proposal to Alter the Federal Grantmaking Process
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The approach the United States has taken to funding biomedical and health research for more than seven decades rests on a straightforward premise: awards are chosen through rigorous, independent, competitive peer review, within priorities that elected leaders set through statute and appropriations. That approach has delivered enormous returns, including steep declines in deaths from cancer, heart disease,and infection; life-saving advances in transplantation, maternal and fetal care, and treatment of genetic and neurological disorders; and the promise of new cures through gene- and immune-based therapies. It has also sustained decades of U.S. leadership in science and innovation and driven nationwide economic growth.
The Office of Management and Budget's (OMB's) proposed rule, Regulation for Federal Financial Assistance, threatens to fundamentally alter this proven system and compromise the ability of the American scientific enterprise to deliver ongoing benefits to taxpayers. Alongside the National Academy of Sciences, National Academy of Engineering, and hundreds of other aligned organizations, the National Academy of Medicine (NAM) submitted a formal public comments to OMB detailing concerns with key provisions and urging action to preserve the primacy of independent, merit-based review and sustain the scientific workforce that is vital to national competitiveness and security. A high-level summary of the comments appears below.
Access the NAM's complete comments here: Comments of the National Academy of Medicine on the Proposed Rule, Regulation for Federal Financial Assistance
Summary
The NAM supports appropriate measures to ensure accountability and legal compliance in the use of federal research funds. However, several elements of the proposed rule would introduce uncertainty and potential bias into a system that depends on predictability and independence.
The rule would insert discretionary, non-technical review by political appointees ahead of funding decisions, potentially overriding objective processes designed to select the most meritorious projects to advance national priorities. It would expand agencies' authority to terminate active, multi-year awards for non-scientific reasons, disrupting years-long clinical trials, research cohorts, and laboratory work that cannot simply be paused without harming the ability to achieve valid results and honor obligations to people who contribute to biomedical research by participating in clinical trials.
The rule could curtail the ability of scientific and medical organizations to convene independent experts and disseminate research findings free of political influence and could impede essential international scientific collaboration. It could also restrict legitimate scientific research that measures how health outcomes differ across communities, including research that is essential to serving rural, low-income, and chronically ill populations. Finally, the rule risks destabilizing support for fellowships, traineeships, and other mechanisms that sustain the pipeline of early-career scientists.
Such significant disruption could have economic and national security ramifications. U.S. investment in basic and applied research remains larger than that of any other nation, and it has helped drive many of the major scientific advances of the modern era, advances whose benefits have extended far beyond our borders. It allows the United States to help lead global conversations about public health, regulation, and scientific norms. The biomedical enterprise is also a pillar of our national security, supporting America's biodefense and pandemic response.
The biomedical enterprise employs millions of Americans and anchors regional economies. It produces medicines that change people's lives and allow them to be more productive. Sustaining this enterprise requires a scientific and engineering workforce commensurate with the size of our economy and the scale of our scientific aspirations. The enterprise took decades to build, and once it erodes, rebuilding it could take a generation.
The OMB's proposed changes would add significantly to an already sizable burden on the workforce; for example, funding constraints and immigration policies introduced in 2025 and 2026 have already reduced, by the thousands, the number of next-generation scientists available to serve the nation. In this context, the NAM comment calls on OMB to demonstrate how its proposed changes will protect and enhance, rather than erode, the size and quality of the nation's current and future scientific workforce.
The NAM welcomes the opportunity to work with OMB toward a final rule that advances transparency and accountability without compromising scientific integrity and innovation.
Media inquiries: Molly Galvin (mgalvin@nas.edu)
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Original text here: https://nam.edu/news-and-insights/comments-omb-proposal/
CfA Astronomers Win Share of Roman Space Telescope's Inaugural General Investigator Program
CAMBRIDGE, Massachusetts, July 15 -- The Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics issued the following news release:
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CfA Astronomers Win Share of Roman Space Telescope's Inaugural General Investigator Program
Four major projects and seven CfA researchers will lead and co-lead investigations spanning the Milky Way, exoplanets, black holes, and the earliest galaxies
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The Center for Astrophysics | Harvard & Smithsonian was strongly represented in the newly announced Cycle 1 General Investigator Program from the Roman Science Support Center with four scientists leading and three co-leading
... Show Full Article
CAMBRIDGE, Massachusetts, July 15 -- The Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics issued the following news release:
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CfA Astronomers Win Share of Roman Space Telescope's Inaugural General Investigator Program
Four major projects and seven CfA researchers will lead and co-lead investigations spanning the Milky Way, exoplanets, black holes, and the earliest galaxies
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The Center for Astrophysics | Harvard & Smithsonian was strongly represented in the newly announced Cycle 1 General Investigator Program from the Roman Science Support Center with four scientists leading and three co-leadinginvestigations.
"I would like to congratulate every CfA astronomer whose programs were accepted as a Principal Investigator or Co-Investigator," said CfA Director Lisa Kewley. "They will be leading groundbreaking astronomical discoveries in a large range of topics, including the structure of our Milky Way, galaxy evolution at cosmic dawn, black hole growth, explosive transients, and the formation and evolution of exoplanets."
The full list of selected CfA programs are:
CfA PI-led programs
#19012: Foundational Value-Added Data Products for the Roman Galactic Plane Survey
* Principal Investigator: Catherine Zucker (SAO)
* Co-Is: Cameren Swiggum (SAO), Christina Lindberg (SAO)
* Science Focus: This program focuses on mapping the structural topography of the Milky Way. Using infrared data from Roman's Galactic Plane Survey, Dr. Zucker's team will analyze how starlight is absorbed and scattered to construct highly precise 3D dust maps of the interstellar medium, allowing scientists to model star formation environments across the galaxy's disk.
#19019: An Archival Deep Drilling Kuiper Belt Search in the Galactic Bulge Time Domain Survey
* Principal Investigator: Kevin Napier (Center for Astrophysics | Harvard & Smithsonian)
* Co-Investigator: Matthew (Matt) Holman (Center for Astrophysics | Harvard & Smithsonian)
* Science Focus: This solar system investigation uses archival data of Roman's high-cadence wide-field survey of the Galactic Bulge to conduct deep drilling searches for faint trans-Neptunian objects (TNOs). Dr. Napier and the team are utilizing these data to test models of planetesimal formation, and to search for yet-undetected populations of objects in the distant Solar System.
#19065: Illuminating Dark Energy and Black Holes with Strong Gravitational Lensing in the Nancy Grace Roman Space Observatory Era
* Principal Investigators: Rodrigo Cordova Rosado (Center for Astrophysics | Harvard & Smithsonian)
* Co-Principal Investigator: Kim-Vy Tran (Center for Astrophysics | Harvard & Smithsonian)
* Co-Is: Rong Xu (Center for Astrophysics | Harvard & Smithsonian), Sam Ecclestone-Browne (Center for Astrophysics | Harvard & Smithsonian)
* Science Focus: This program leverages the ASTRO 3D Galaxy Evolution with Lenses (AGEL) survey framework to identify and catalog massive samples of strong gravitational galaxy-galaxy lenses. By analyzing how Roman's high-resolution, wide-field imaging stretches light from background galaxies into beautiful cosmic arcs, the team can map out the distribution of dark matter halos and place new constraints on dark energy and early black hole growth.
#19076: A Comprehensive Census of Roman and Rubin Transient Host Environments from Low to High Redshift
* Principal Investigator: Anya Nugent (Harvard)
* Co-Principal Investigator: V. Ashley Villar (Center for Astrophysics | Harvard & Smithsonian)
* Science Focus: This program utilizes a dual-survey approach leveraging both the Vera C. Rubin Observatory and the Roman Space Telescope. Drs. Nugent and Villar will execute a large-scale demographic study of the environments where cosmic transients (such as supernovae and exotic stellar explosions) occur, spanning a massive evolutionary timeline from the local universe out to deep cosmic dawn.
CfA Co-Is:
1. 2001: Fengwu Sun, Zihao Wu - Roman eXtreme Deep Field (RDF); Galaxies
2. 2002: Christina Lindberg - Legacy Survey of Andromeda & Triangulum; Stellar Pops
3. 2004: Andrew Vanderburg - The Roman-Kepler Legacy Survey; Exoplanets
4. 19008: Catherine Zucker - Gas and dust in/front of the Galactic Center; ISM
5. 19017: Fabio Pacucci - Beating Cosmic Variance: UVLFs at Cosmic Dawn; Galaxies
6. 19021: Anya Nugent - High-Redshift SN Program with WFS RISE; Stellar Physics
7. 19033: Fengwu Sun - Little Red Dots at z~0.5-2 with HLWAS; AGN
8. 19058: Andrew Vanderburg, Jennifer Yee - Explainable Al Early Microlensing; Discovery; Exoplanets
9. 19059: Andrew Vanderburg, Jennifer Yee - Disentangling FFPs from Stellar Flares; Exoplanets
10. 19063: Mike Smith - R-HIVE: SFH-Morphology-Environment; Galaxies
11. 19075: Hyerin Cho, Ramesh Narayan, Angelo Ricarte - BH-Galaxy Coevolution of Extreme; Galaxies; AGN
12. 19080: Jiwon Han - RAGHAB: Galactic Hunt for Astrometric; Binaries; Stellar Physics
13. 19081: Peter Blanchard - High-Redshift & Exotic Transients in HLTDS; Stellar Physics
14. 19100: Daniel Eisenstein, Zihao Wu - A Shining Cosmic Dawn (z>8 LFs/clustering); Galaxies
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Original text here: https://www.cfa.harvard.edu/news/cfa-astronomers-win-share-roman-space-telescopes-inaugural-general-investigator-program
Administrator Zeldin Delivers Keynote at Tennessee Infrastructure Summit, Highlights EPA's Cooperative Approach to Environment and Economy
WASHINGTON, July 15 -- The Environmental Protection Agency issued the following news release:
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Administrator Zeldin Delivers Keynote at Tennessee Infrastructure Summit, Highlights EPA's Cooperative Approach to Environment and Economy
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WASHINGTON - On Tuesday, July 14, 2026, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Lee Zeldin traveled to Franklin, Tennessee, to engage with state business leaders on how EPA can partner with local businesses and communities to deliver clean air, land and water while also providing avenues for economic growth.
On Tuesday morning, Administrator
... Show Full Article
WASHINGTON, July 15 -- The Environmental Protection Agency issued the following news release:
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Administrator Zeldin Delivers Keynote at Tennessee Infrastructure Summit, Highlights EPA's Cooperative Approach to Environment and Economy
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WASHINGTON - On Tuesday, July 14, 2026, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Lee Zeldin traveled to Franklin, Tennessee, to engage with state business leaders on how EPA can partner with local businesses and communities to deliver clean air, land and water while also providing avenues for economic growth.
On Tuesday morning, AdministratorZeldin delivered the keynote speech Exit EPA's website at the Tennessee Chamber of Commerce and Industry's second annual Infrastructure Summit. The event brought together over 300 leaders from government, business, and industry to examine the infrastructure needed to sustain Tennessee's continued economic and population growth.
In his speech, Administrator Zeldin shared how the Trump EPA has been narrowing its authority to the single best reading of federal laws and statutes, while also ensuring that protecting the environment and growing the economy can both be pursued and achieved simultaneously. He cited EPA's November 2025 approval of Oklo's geotechnical borings for a small modular reactor project in Tennessee, a process completed in approximately eight days after the agency received the request, as an example. Administrator Zeldin reaffirmed the Trump EPA's commitment to advancing cooperative federalism with state and local partners, unleashing energy dominance, making America the AI capital of the world, and revitalizing domestic auto manufacturing, all while delivering clean air, land, and water to communities. He said these initiatives will help Power the Great American Comeback and drive innovation for decades to come.
Following his speech, alongside Tennessee Chamber of Commerce and Industry President and CEO Josh Brown, Administrator Zeldin participated Exit EPA's website in a media availability with local media.
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Original text here: https://www.epa.gov/newsreleases/administrator-zeldin-delivers-keynote-tennessee-infrastructure-summit-highlights-epas
$20K Grant from FHLB Dallas and BankPlus Paves the Way for Mississippi Family's First Home Purchase
DALLAS, Texas, July 15 -- The Federal Home Loan Bank of Dallas, a district bank in the Federal Home Loan Bank System, issued the following news release:
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$20K Grant from FHLB Dallas and BankPlus Paves the Way for Mississippi Family's First Home Purchase
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MERIDIAN, MISSISSIPPI, July 15, 2026 - Jharmain and Charity Inge of Meridian, Mississippi, recently achieved their dream of homeownership with the support of a $20,000 Homebuyer Equity Leverage Partnership (HELP) grant from the Federal Home Loan Bank of Dallas (FHLB Dallas), awarded through its member BankPlus.
The grant helped cover
... Show Full Article
DALLAS, Texas, July 15 -- The Federal Home Loan Bank of Dallas, a district bank in the Federal Home Loan Bank System, issued the following news release:
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$20K Grant from FHLB Dallas and BankPlus Paves the Way for Mississippi Family's First Home Purchase
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MERIDIAN, MISSISSIPPI, July 15, 2026 - Jharmain and Charity Inge of Meridian, Mississippi, recently achieved their dream of homeownership with the support of a $20,000 Homebuyer Equity Leverage Partnership (HELP) grant from the Federal Home Loan Bank of Dallas (FHLB Dallas), awarded through its member BankPlus.
The grant helped coverdown payment and closing costs, allowing the Inge family to close on their new home earlier this year.
They connected with BankPlus while exploring opportunities to make homeownership possible and learned about the FHLB Dallas HELP grant and BankPlus' Welcome Home Mortgage product, which they ultimately used.
"Programs like HELP can truly change what's possible for first-time buyers," said BankPlus Officer Carla Gable. "My role is to connect customers to these opportunities and guide them through each step. It's rewarding to see someone reach a milestone like this."
Their three-month journey brought a sense of gratitude as the family started a new chapter as homeowners.
"My experience with BankPlus was wonderful," Mr. Inge said. "Everyone on the staff was so kind and truly did their best to help me in every way they could. Owning a home means everything to me and my wife."
HELP grants support income-qualified, first-time homebuyers by providing up to $20,000 for down payment and closing cost assistance for income-qualified homebuyers in Louisiana, Arkansas and Mississippi and up to $25,000 for homebuyers in New Mexico and Texas. The grant is available through participating FHLB Dallas members, like BankPlus.
"We're committed to working through our members to open the door to homeownership for more families through programs like HELP," said Greg Hettrick, FHLB Dallas senior vice president and director of Community Investment. "We're pleased to support BankPlus in helping the Inge family achieve this milestone and to see the impact these funds have in strengthening communities."
About BankPlus
Founded in 1909, BankPlus is one of the Southeast's premier regional banks serving consumers and businesses with the latest technology through a full suite of financial services, including retail banking, commercial banking, mortgage lending and wealth management. With over $8.3 billion in total assets, BankPlus operates 73 financial centers throughout Mississippi, Alabama, Louisiana, and Florida.
About the Federal Home Loan Bank of Dallas
The Federal Home Loan Bank of Dallas is one of 11 district banks in the FHLBank System created by Congress in 1932. FHLB Dallas, with total assets of $97.1 billion as of March 31, 2026, is a member-owned cooperative that supports housing and community development by providing competitively priced loans and other credit products to approximately 780 members and associated institutions in Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, New Mexico and Texas. For more information, visit fhlb.com.
Contact Information:
Corporate Communications
Federal Home Loan Bank of Dallas
fhlb.com
214.441.8445
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Original text here: https://www.fhlb.com/library/press-releases/2026/20k-grant-from-fhlb-dallas-and-bankplus-paves-the
ICYMI: Across the Board Coverage of the Trump EPA's Proposal to Save American Truckers Billions and Remove DEF Deratements Entirely
WASHINGTON, July 14 -- The Environmental Protection Agency issued the following news release:
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ICYMI: Across the Board Coverage of the Trump EPA's Proposal to Save American Truckers Billions and Remove DEF Deratements Entirely
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WASHINGTON - Last week, at the Great American State Fair on the National Mall, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Lee Zeldin unveiled a proposal to reverse the unattainable 2023 NOx emission reduction provisions created under the Biden Administration. This commonsense proposal will save American truckers $12 billion and up to $6,000 per vehicle
... Show Full Article
WASHINGTON, July 14 -- The Environmental Protection Agency issued the following news release:
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ICYMI: Across the Board Coverage of the Trump EPA's Proposal to Save American Truckers Billions and Remove DEF Deratements Entirely
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WASHINGTON - Last week, at the Great American State Fair on the National Mall, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Lee Zeldin unveiled a proposal to reverse the unattainable 2023 NOx emission reduction provisions created under the Biden Administration. This commonsense proposal will save American truckers $12 billion and up to $6,000 per vehicleon new truck purchases, delivering on the Trump Administration's efforts to lower costs for American families.
This proposal also responds directly to calls from diesel operators to completely eliminate deratements caused by Diesel Exhaust Fluid (DEF) system failures. The Trump EPA is proud to deliver on President Trump's mandate to lower costs, revitalize domestic auto manufacturing, and put hard working Americans first, all while protecting human health and the environment.
Read extensive coverage below on the Trump EPA's latest proposal.
Fox News: Biden-era enviro rule accused of strangling truckers, squeezing Americans lands on Trump chopping block Exit EPA's website
"The Trump administration is proposing to slash Biden-era truck emissions regulations in a move officials say would save the trucking industry about $12 billion and ease supply chain costs that make everyday goods more expensive for Americans."
Daily Caller: California Eco-Tyranny Destroyed By New EPA Rule Exit EPA's website
"The Environmental Protection Agency recently announced that manufacturers could sell car parts that defy California's 'green' regulations in the other 49 U.S. states. Under the EPA's advisory opinion, manufacturers can demonstrate compliance with the federal Clean Air Act through Specialty Equipment Market Association (SEMA) emissions certificate program rather first obtaining approval from California regulators."
TPS: Updated EPA NOx rule expected to help OEMs; Agency also helps fleets, shops with DEF repair directive as truck orders ascend Exit EPA's website
"The EPA was our main character this week as the market responded to its Freedom to Fix directive regarding DEF maintenance. Two manufacturers also announced their engine software update plans regarding EPA's spring directive regarding engine derates."
Heavy Duty Trucking: EPA Proposal Could Ease 2027 Truck Costs and Buying Uncertainty Exit EPA's website
"The Environmental Protection Agency has proposed significant changes to its 2027 heavy-duty diesel emissions rule that could reduce the cost of next-generation trucks while easing some of the uncertainty that has complicated fleet buying decisions. The EPA proposed rule would leave in place the stringent nitrogen oxide (NOx) emissions standard scheduled to take effect with 2027 model-year heavy-duty diesel engines. However, it would delay some of the rule's costly implementation requirements, including longer useful-life requirements and expanded emissions warranties, while eliminating mandatory diesel exhaust fluid (DEF) engine derates."
The Trucker: EPA unveils proposal to save truckers $12B, eliminate DEF deratements entirely Exit EPA's website
"U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) administrator Lee Zeldin is announcing a proposal estimated to save American truckers $12 billion through 'commonsense revisions to unnecessary and unworkable Biden-era compliance requirements."
Transport Topics: EPA proposes cost-saving revision to 2027 truck emission rule Exit EPA's website
"...In a speech at the America 250 Great American State Fair unveiling the plans, EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin said: 'Manufacturers spoke up, suppliers spoke up, fleets, dealers and drivers all spoke up. They warned that the new requirements couldn't be met in time, that it would drive up costs, that it would force companies to rush products to market before they were ready. In the past, Washington wasn't listening. However, the Trump EPA is."
Michigan Farm News: EPA proposes complete elimination of DEF-related engine deratements Exit EPA's website
"...The savings on new truck purchases could reach up to $6,000 per vehicle, according to EPA, on top of the increased productivity operators are currently losing when deratements cause sudden speed loss on the road. EPA is also specifically proposing to scale back the emissions warranty requirements that added the largest single cost to the trucking industry... 'Americans depend on reliable trucks to move essential goods across the country,' Zeldin said. 'If finalized, these changes will help manufacturers keep improving their vehicles without being forced to rush products to market before they're ready."
CCJ: EPA proposes to end DEF derates for good, scale back warranty requirements Exit EPA's website
"...The Biden-era regulations required OEMs extend warranties to 450,000 miles from 100,000 and useful life limits to 650,000 miles from 435,000 miles. OEMs claimed those requirements passed upwards of $20,000 in added cost onto fleets -a number OEMs think now could be cut in half."
Daily Signal: Zeldin Unveils EPA Plan to Save Truckers $12 Billion Exit EPA's website
"American truckers are expected to save $12 billion thanks to the Environmental Protection Agency and Administrator Lee Zeldin rolling back Biden-era regulations and addressing what he called a 'nationwide disaster.' The administration plans to address manufacturers' concerns, consumer pricing, and truckers' safety by addressing system failures."
Brownfield Ag News: EPA proposes end to DEF-related engine deratements Exit EPA's website
"...It effectively ends deratements for new vehicles,' [T.J. Wilson, deputy director of rural policy for the America First Policy Institute] said. 'It does a variety of other things that are going to show that you can have strong clean air goals and strong environmental protections, while also not killing entire industries and constraining the livelihood of folks."
The Republic: Rumsey: Cummins 'pleased' to see EPA rule changes for DEF systems Exit EPA's website
"...Cummins Chair and CEO Jennifer Rumsey traveled to Washington, D.C., this week for an event where federal environmental regulators unveiled a proposal to change certain rules governing truck emissions-control systems... 'We're very pleased to have that (proposed) rule come out,' Rumsey told The Republic following the event. 'We've been working very collaboratively with the EPA, and so getting that draft rule out is an important milestone for us as we continue to move forward with our product launches."
Washington Examiner: Zeldin proposes rolling back Biden-era truck emissions rules Exit EPA's website
"...The proposal is the latest step in the Trump administration's efforts to reduce emission standards in the transportation sector on the basis of lowering costs for manufacturers. 'Even if you've never driven a truck in your life, when it costs less to move goods, it costs less to buy them,' Zeldin said. 'Those savings get passed down to you at the grocery store and the hardware store on nearly everything a truck delivers."
Truck News: EPA proposes tweaks to NOx rule, end of DEF deratements Exit EPA's website
"...The updated proposal, if finalized, would make several important changes: Warranty: Maintains the current 5-year/100,000-mile warranty, rather than a higher mileage warranty. Useful life: Delays the scheduled increase in regulatory useful life by three years, so the 11-year/650,000-mile warranty for heavy-duty trucks will take effect in 2030."
The Well News: Trump EPA Moves to Rewrite Biden Truck Emissions Rule Exit EPA's website
"...Industry leaders said the proposal addresses long-time concerns about the cost and reliability of complying with the existing emissions standards. They argued that additional time to meet the rule's requirements would allow them to better test new emissions technology before it reaches customers."
American Ag Network: Trump EPA Unveils Proposal to Save Truckers $12 Billion by Revising Unworkable Biden-Era Rule Exit EPA's website
"...The Trump Administration is taking a commonsense approach to alleviating burdensome diesel regulations on behalf of farmers, truckers, and small business owners who were crushed by unworkable environmental activist demands that became costly mandates,' said U.S. Small Business Administrator Kelly Loeffler. 'The EPA, SBA, and USDA have made steady progress toward ending DEF deratements, removing unreliable sensor requirements, and offering operators more practical compliance options."
American Truckers Association: ATA's Chris Spear Joins EPA Administrator to Announce Revised NOx Rule Exit EPA's website
"Today, American Trucking Associations President & CEO Chris Spear joined Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Lee Zeldin for an event on the National Mall to celebrate the rollback of onerous, unachievable heavy-duty NOx standards implemented by the previous administration... 'We appreciate EPA taking our concerns seriously and acting to provide commonsense flexibility for the manufacturers, fleets, and 8.4 million hardworking men and women who keep this country moving...' [said American Trucking Associations President & CEO Chris Spear]."
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Original text here: https://www.epa.gov/newsreleases/icymi-across-board-coverage-trump-epas-proposal-save-american-truckers-billions-and
