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FOR THE PEOPLE, BY THE PEOPLE. WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 16, 2026 GRANTSPASSTRIBUNE.COM | $0.00

U.S. Remains Deep in Iran Conflict

American Casualties Rise and Oil Tops $100

By John Oliver Nearly seven months after American forces opened a massive military campaign against Iran, the United States remains entrenched in a conflict that has outlived Operation Epic Fury, claimed the lives of 18 U.S. service members, wounded hundreds more and pushed the consequences of the war far beyond Iran’s borders and into the world’s oil markets, shipping lanes and neighboring countries. Operation Epic Fury began Feb. 28 with an intensive assault on Iran’s military infrastructure, targeting missile forces, air defenses, naval capabilities, command facilities and other strategic sites. The Pentagon formally ended the Epic Fury designation May 5, but American combat operations associated with the Iran conflict continued under broader overseas operational classifications. The campaign name disappeared while U.S. forces remained in the fight. The war entering its seventh month bears little resemblance to the concentrated opening campaign. American and Iranian forces have continued

Americana and Folk Music Come to Grants Pass exchanging attacks, commercial vessels have been struck around the Strait of Hormuz, Iran-aligned forces have expanded operations elsewhere in the region and Saudi energy infrastructure has become another target. Iraq and Yemen have assumed greater importance as armed groups operating beyond Iran’s borders increase the geographic reach of a confrontation that began primarily between Washington, its allies and Tehran. For the United States, the mounting casualty count provides the clearest measure of how far the conflict has traveled beyond its original military campaign. At least 18 American service members

have been killed since hostilities began, while recent Pentagon reporting has placed the combined number of wounded from Epic Fury and subsequent operations at approximately 794. Pentagon accounting has divided casualties between Operation Epic Fury and the overseas operations that followed it, including four American deaths moved from the original campaign category into the broader classification. The change lowered the number appearing under Epic Fury without reducing the actual number of Americans killed during the conflict. Taken together, the military toll

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see AMERICAN, page 11

EPA Repeals Federal Carbon Limits for Coal and Natural Gas Power Plants By Ellen Ward The Environmental Protection Agency on Monday repealed federal carbon-emission standards for coal and natural gas power plants, reversing one of the nation’s largest greenhouse gas regulations for electricity generation while advancing a separate regulatory action that could reshape the federal government’s authority over power plant carbon emissions for years to come. The EPA announced the September 14 action as federal energy officials gathered in Houston for a meeting of G20 energy ministers. The repeal eliminates standards adopted in 2024 under former President Joe Biden that established carbon dioxide requirements for existing coal-fired generating stations and certain new natural gas facilities. EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin has placed changes to federal energy and environmental regulations among the agency’s priorities under President Donald Trump. The administration maintains that the previous power plant standards imposed substantial costs on utilities, contributed to decisions affecting the continued operation of generating facilities and complicated development of additional electrical capacity as power demand accelerates across the United States. Monday’s decision reaches beyond revised emission limits or extended compliance schedules. EPA is withdrawing the greenhouse gas standards while pursuing a separate determination over whether emissions from fossil-fuel power plants meet the legal threshold for regulation under the Clean Air Act. That parallel action places both the existing rules and the federal authority behind future versions of those rules into contention. The 2024 regulations were established under Section 111 of the Clean Air Act, with requirements based on generating technology and the anticipated operating life of individual facilities. Coal plants expected to remain operational well into the next decade faced increasingly stringent

carbon requirements, while large new natural gas generating units were placed under federal performance standards. For some long-term generating facilities, the standards called for carbon reductions approaching 90 percent, with carbon capture and storage forming a significant part of the federal compliance structure. The Biden administration projected the regulations would prevent approximately 1 billion metric tons or more of greenhouse gas emissions through 2047. Those federal carbon requirements are now being removed from the power sector. EPA estimates its broader action could eliminate more than $300 billion in costs for the energy industry. The agency contends the repeal will leave electric utilities with greater flexibility to determine which generating facilities remain in service, where new capacity is constructed and which technologies receive investment as the country enters a period of substantially higher electricity consumption. That increase in demand is already influencing decisions across the American electrical system. Utilities are preparing for additional power consumption from data centers, artificial intelligence computing facilities, advanced manufacturing, residential development and other large users. Feder-

al energy officials have increasingly concentrated on maintaining dependable generating capacity while utilities and grid operators reassess projections that have changed considerably from the relatively modest demand growth experienced during portions of the previous two decades. Coal, once the dominant fuel behind American electricity production, has steadily lost market share to natural gas and renewable generation. Natural gas has simultaneously developed into one of the country’s principal electricity sources and is positioned prominently in utility proposals for new generating capacity. The administration argues that federal carbon requirements could accelerate coal plant retirements while increasing the expense and complexity of constructing new natural gas facilities. Industry organizations supporting the repeal maintain that retaining more generating resources can provide grid operators with additional capacity as electricity consumption expands. Environmental and public health organizations are preparing legal challenges, arguing that removal of the standards will permit greater greenhouse gas emissions from generating facilities capable of remaining in operation for decades.

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see EPA, page 11

By John Oliver Four nationally touring musicians will move through Grants Pass on consecutive September nights, putting two local venues on the fall concert calendar and pairing the second performance with a fundraiser for the Grants Pass Museum of Art. Cristina Vane and Madeline Hawthorne open the two-night run Wednesday, Sept. 23, at The Hivve, followed Thursday, Sept. 24, by The Rough & Tumble and Flagship Romance at the Grants Pass Performing Arts Center. The back-to-back bookings bring four working touring acts into the city within roughly 24 hours, spanning blues, folk, Americana, bluegrass influences and harmony-driven acoustic music. Vane arrives in Grants Pass with a career shaped by several corners of American roots music. A singer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist, she works across guitar, banjo, blues and old-time traditions and has progressed from performing on the Venice Beach boardwalk to an extensive national touring schedule. Her performance history includes appearances alongside or opening for Molly Tuttle, Sam Bush, Bob Weir and Rev. Peyton’s Big Damn Band. Vane has also shared a stage with Billy Strings during his String the Halls performances, placing her among a generation of musicians carrying traditional American sounds into contemporary touring circuits. Wednesday's concert pairs Vane with Montana-based singer-songwriter Madeline Hawthorne, whose music blends Americana, rock and roots influences. Hawthorne's 2024 album, “Tales From Late Nights & Long Drives,” grew from the experience of traveling, writing and performing across the country, giving the Grants Pass audience another artist whose catalog has been developed largely from life on the road. The Sept. 23 performance also reaches beyond the concert venue. One dollar from each presale ticket will go to A Greater Applegate, the nonprofit organization working on community projects throughout the neighboring Applegate Valley. Less than a day later, the city's live-music schedule shifts to the Grants Pass Performing Arts Center. The Rough & Tumble and Flagship Romance take over Thursday night's program for a performance benefiting the Grants Pass Museum of Art. Both duos have previously performed in Grants Pass and return with years of touring experience behind them.

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see TWO, page 13