Section Branding
Header Content
Georgia Today: EPA rule change on coal ash; Union Pacific - Norfolk Southern merger; Medicaid cuts
Primary Content
On the Thursday, July 24 edition of Georgia Today: The EPA proposes a rollback of rules on coal ash; Union Pacific and Atlanta-based Norfolk Southern are confirming they're in merger talks; and cuts to Medicaid could harm seniors who rely on it for their nursing home care.
Peter Biello: Welcome to the Georgia Today podcast. Here we bring you the latest reports from the GPB newsroom. On today's episode, the EPA proposes a rollback of rules on coal ash. Union Pacific and Atlanta-based Norfolk Southern are confirming they're in merger talks. And cuts to Medicaid could harm seniors who rely on it for their nursing home care.
Jon Ossoff: This is unnecessary and avoidable harm to seniors in Georgia. This is a policy decision that's been made in Washington in order to fund tax cuts mostly for the very wealthy.
Peter Biello: Today is Thursday, July 24. I'm Peter Biello, and this is Georgia Today.
Story 1:
Peter Biello: Georgia Insurance and Safety Fire Commissioner John King is pulling out of Georgia's 2026 U.S. Senate race. The Republican announced his campaign in May, but in a social media post this afternoon he said, quote, "There's little path forward to the nomination." He said he would run for reelection as insurance commissioner. King became the first Hispanic person elected to statewide position in Georgia when he won the post in 2022. He was one of several Republicans in what's expected to be a crowded field of GOP contenders for the nomination. Incumbent Democrat Jon Ossoff is considered to be vulnerable in the 2026 cycle. U.S. Rep. Buddy Carter is in the race, U.S. Rep. Mike Collins is strongly hinting at a campaign, and other Republicans are reported to be considering a run.
Story 2:
Peter Biello: The Environmental Protection Agency has proposed a rollback of some rules around the management of the toxic material left after burning coal to generate electricity, so-called coal ash, GPB's Grant Blankenship explains.
Grant Blankenship: The new EPA rule would give utilities an extra three years, until 2029, to install test wells to monitor how coal ash pollution travels through groundwater and sometimes to kitchen sinks. But Georgia is among a handful of states with its own coal ash rules. Georgia's Environmental Protection Division says it will not take up the extension. Minutes before publishing the new rule, the EPA heard testimony from people like Andrea Goolsby, who lives near Monroe County's Plant Scherer, one of the nation's largest coal-burning power plants. She says she voted for President Trump. But her faith in this EPA is shaken.
Andrea Goolsby: Whether you're a Republican or Democrat, it shouldn't matter. Clean water, the air that we breathe are all God-given things, they're free.
Grant Blankenship: Georgia Power says their coal ash management plans are unchanged. For GPB News, I'm Grant Blankenship in Macon.
Story 3:
Peter Biello: The federal reconciliation bill overhauls the way states can operate their own Medicaid programs. So far, it has removed opportunities for Medicaid expansion and limited who can be covered. Georgians might not feel changes immediately, and as GPB's Sofi Gratas reports, state plans for when they do seem hard to come by.
Sofi Gratas: State lawmakers likely won't convene a special session to deal with federal cuts. Meanwhile, a key state commission that advises them on health care hasn't met all year. The Comprehensive Health Coverage Commission was created to find solutions for low-income Georgians and the 11% of adults and kids who are uninsured. Whitney Griggs with Georgians for a Healthy Future worries lawmakers won't have a strategy
Whitney Griggs: We have these big changes from HR1, we have these big changes everywhere else, and we have not thought at all about how can we maintain or at least prevent as many coverage losses to Georgia as possible, and also think about the impacts that these changes have on our safety net health system.
Sofi Gratas: Hospitals would likely foot the bill if people fall through the cracks. For GPB News, I'm Sofi Gratas.
Story 4:
Peter Biello: The Fulton County Board of Health will restore the jobs of 14 staff members who had been working in HIV prevention and treatment. 17 lost their jobs in May amid delays in federal funding. The budget for the state's HIV prevention treatment programs through next September now stands at just over $26 million. Georgia has one of the highest HIV rates in the country.
Story 5:
Peter Biello: A recent Brown University study says the recently passed U.S. Budget bill puts 37 nursing homes in Georgia at risk of closing because of expected cuts to Medicaid spending. U.S. Sen. Jon Ossoff says that about 70% of Georgia seniors in nursing homes are covered by Medicaid.
Jon Ossoff: This is unnecessary and avoidable harm to seniors in Georgia. This is a policy decision that's been made in Washington in order to fund tax cuts mostly for the very wealthy.
Peter Biello: The facilities most at risk for closure have the highest percentage of patients on Medicaid, and most are in urban areas.
Story 6:
Peter Biello: The trial for the father of the student accused of the deadly shooting at Apalache High School last fall has been delayed. The trial of Colin Gray had been scheduled for Sept. 8, but because his attorneys are unavailable that day, a new date must be set. Gray is facing 29 counts, including two counts of second-degree murder and two counts of involuntary manslaughter. Prosecutors say he gave his son the assault-style weapon used in the shooting.
Story 7:
Peter Biello: Police officers are often the first to respond to someone experiencing a mental health crisis, but many don't have the training or resources to handle the situation. A new mobile response program in Southwest Georgia could help. GPB's Ellen Eldridge has more.
Ellen Eldridge: Decatur County has one of the highest incarceration rates in the state, and the number of people living in poverty is about double the national average. Robert Hearn is the CEO for Georgia Pines Community Service Board. He says the new co-responder program is designed to help during a behavioral health crisis.
Robert Hearn: Co-responder program is where we team a licensed therapist with an officer with law enforcement and they go out on scenes that involve mental health, substance abuse issues and then they kind of — the plan is to divert them from the jail system and back into the community.
Ellen Eldridge: The program is funded by a grant from the Bristol Myers Squibb Foundation meant to improve global health. For GPB News, I'm Ellen Eldridge.
Story 8:
Peter Biello: Poultry food producer Pilgrims plans to build a $400 million prepared foods facility in Northwest Georgia's Walker County. The company said today the plant in Lafayette will create 630 new jobs and is expected to be complete by 2027. Pilgrims already operates seven food production facilities that support about 7,000 Georgia workers, all tied to Georgia's top industry, agriculture. The Walker County plant will produce a variety of fully cooked chicken products.
Story 9:
Peter Biello: Union Pacific and Norfolk Southern are confirming they're in merger talks that would create North America's largest railroad with service from the East Coast to the West Coast. The Associated Press reported last week that the companies were discussing a union, but neither company confirmed it until this morning. The potential merger would combine two of the country's six major freight railroads. It's unclear if federal regulators would approve the consolidation.
Story 10:
Peter Biello: In sports: in basketball, Brittney Griner had 17 points and eight rebounds against her former team as the Atlanta Dream beat the Phoenix Mercury last night 90 to 79. Griner played 11 seasons with the Mercury, helping lead them to the 2014 WNBA title and an appearance in the 2021 finals. The Mercury honored Griner with a tribute video before the game. Griner says it felt good being back on the court where she spent most of her career.
Brittney Griner: Hearing old stories, seeing, you know, signing jerseys that I've signed like a thousand times. It was been, it was really good, it's a good feeling. I said I wasn't gonna, I was gonna hold my tears to the end, but they got me. They got me a little bit. Something was in the eye.
Peter Biello: Rhyne Howard, Atlanta's second leading scorer at 16.5 points per game, did not play. Allisha Gray made 10 of 16 shots for her 10th 20-point game this season. The Dream now head to Minnesota to face the Lynx on Sunday.
And that is a wrap on Georgia Today. Thanks so much for listening. And thanks to Orlando Montoya for hosting the podcast while I was away. If you wanna learn more about any of these stories, check out gpb.org/news. We're also posting new stories there all the time. And make sure you subscribe to this podcast because we're coming back at you tomorrow with all the latest headlines. Now, if you have feedback or a story idea, something you think we should be covering, we love hearing from you. So send us an email now. The address is GeorgiaToday@GPB.org. I'm Peter Biello. Thanks again for listening. We'll see you tomorrow.
---
For more on these stories and more, go to GPB.org/news
Secondary Content
Author
