The civic record
Read. Follow. Verify.Senate rejects resolution to block EPA South Dakota regional haze air quality plan
Last action · January 7, 2026: Motion to proceed to consideration of measure rejected in Senate by Yea-Nay Vote. 43 - 50. Record Vote Number: 4.
Track this bill to get notified when it advances a stage. One tap to stop, anytime.
What This Bill Proposed
The U.S. Senate rejected a resolution that sought to overturn an Environmental Protection Agency rule approving South Dakota's regional haze air quality plan. This vote maintains the current federal approval of the state's strategy for managing air pollution visibility in protected areas.
The outcome ensures that the EPA's existing air quality plan for South Dakota remains in effect, continuing the current regulatory requirements for industrial emissions impacting visibility in national parks and wilderness areas.
Who It Would Have Affected
Groups the bill's text would have affected, as described in the record. Being affected is not a position for or against it.
Environmental Protection Agency
The agency's regulatory action remains authorized and in effect.
South Dakota industrial facilities
These facilities must continue to comply with the emission standards set forth in the EPA-approved regional haze plan.
Key Facts
You don't have to trust us. Each fact below is taken straight from the official document - click any one to see the exact passage, highlighted in the original.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the 'Regional Haze Plan'?
What happens now that the resolution was rejected?
What else do you want to know?
News Coverage
Follow the record
Votes, people, money & the original sourceWhere This Stands
This bill did not become law - Died in the Senate.
Version history
Only one version on file - nothing to compare yet. As later stages (committee substitute, engrossed, enrolled) are captured, the redline appears here.
View official text →Full breakdown
Who this bill affects and the strongest case for and against it, written only from the bill’s own text.
Discoveries
Patterns POLISCOPE noticed across the record. These are observations to investigate, not conclusions.
Congressional Review Act Usage
The use of the Congressional Review Act to challenge specific state-level EPA implementation plans indicates ongoing legislative scrutiny of federal environmental delegation.
Connected Entities
Sources
www.congress.gov
Analysis Score
0–100- Significance20Lowered because this bill did not pass (its text scored 65)
- Controversy75Intensity of disagreement among stakeholders
- Entertainment10Compellingness for a non-policy-wonk reader
- Buzz20Current news / social attention level
Publisher tools