•The Financial Stability Oversight Council (FSOC) has proposed new guidance criticized for weakening its ability to designate and regulate large nonbank financial companies (e.g., private equity, credit firms) as systemically important.
•Critics argue this proposal could erode FSOC's authority to address systemic financial risk, potentially increasing overall financial instability.
•For energy developers and large power consumers, increased financial instability could indirectly impact the availability and cost of capital for project financing and broader energy sector investments.
•The EPA has proposed rolling back protections, allowing coal-fired power plants to dump toxic wastewater (including arsenic, mercury, selenium, and lead) from coal ash landfills into U.S. waterways.
•This action follows a previous delay in enforcement of wastewater protections for coal plants, initiated in September 2025.
•The policy change reduces environmental compliance burdens for existing coal plants, potentially impacting their operating costs and competitive position against new generation development.