Episode Details

Corpus Christi LNG expansion, Michigan utility rate hikes, a $1.4B Allegheny County pension crisis, LA's behest payment investigation, and the two-speed housing market on this episode of The States.

- LNG export expansion & Michigan energy rates: FERC released a draft environmental impact statement for a Corpus Christi LNG terminal expansion that could add 24 million tons/year in export capacity, with a final investment decision expected in late 2027. Meanwhile, Michigan utility DTE Energy is raising natural gas rates $74.5M starting Oct. 1, with a much larger $474M electric rate increase still pending. Energy analyst Sarah Montalbano discusses how data center growth, intermittent energy sources, and coal plant retirements are driving costs onto ratepayers, and argues nuclear power offers the best path to reliability and emissions reduction.
- Allegheny County pension crisis & data center ban: A judge ruled the county's pension fund has a $1.4 billion shortfall and gave officials until September 2027 to find a fix — likely requiring state legislative involvement. The County Council voted to intervene in the lawsuit and separately passed a measure banning large-scale (25MW+) data centers on county-owned property, while carving out county-run servers like 911 systems.
- LA Mayor Karen Bass "behest payment" investigation: The Center Square investigative reporter Adam Herberts details how Bass has persuaded donors — including AT&T, Charter Communications, Amazon, and Pepsi — to give $38 million to nonprofits tied to her office since 2022, often while those same donors have pending city contracts. The report also flags at least 23 anonymous donations and a disclosure loophole that restricts lobbyists from giving but not their corporate clients.
- Everyday Economics (Chris Krug & Orphe Divounguy): A breakdown of the "two-speed" housing and economic split — 7.2% mortgage rates pricing out most buyers while the luxury market (up 5.3% year-over-year) and AI-wealth-driven markets like San Francisco (up ~13%) continue to boom. Divounguy also explains how state revenue mixes (income tax vs. sales tax) affect budget stability as growth slows, and recommends taxpayers contest property tax assessments.
America's Talking: 
CA: https://www.thecentersquare.com/california/article_779cb450-3556-4717-bd10-88d99f28fb4d.html
IL: https://www.thecentersquare.com/illinois/article_3e0ec8f4-0a38-4950-8902-c5f3438b214f.html 
LA: https://www.thecentersquare.com/louisiana/article_8cffd366-8c04-48af-a349-68a9b693763a.html
TX: https://www.thecentersquare.com/texas/article_d23de0a7-5bf9-4ebb-bc62-14d75b177cf9.html

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