Happy Thursday! Your voice has power even if you feel powerless.

☀️ Today's weather: High near 100, again.

🎵 Sounds like: "Location"

💰 Situational awareness: The Dallas City Council last night approved a record budget, sparing libraries from cuts but trimming funds for several services, the Dallas Morning News reported.

• Meanwhile, the Fort Worth City Council approved a $3.33 billion operating budget and property tax rate increase.

Today's newsletter is 861 self-driven words — a 3-minute read.

The Environmental Protection Agency rolled back Biden-era greenhouse gas limits for power plants, agency head Lee Zeldin announced at an energy conference in Houston this week,

Why it matters: Zeldin argues the rollback will make energy and electricity for consumers more affordable. Environmental groups and experts warn it could increase pollution and harm public health — especially in Texas, which already leads the country in carbon emissions from power plants.

State of play: The Biden administration limited carbon dioxide emissions from coal-fired power plants and natural gas plants.

• The EPA has also proposed eliminating the remaining federal greenhouse gas standards for power plants.

Follow the money: The EPA estimates that its rollback will save $310 billion over roughly two decades. Texas' natural gas industry could see a "big advantage" as gas becomes more competitive with wind and solar, Ramanan Krishnamoorti, vice president for energy and innovation at the University of Houston, tells Axios.

• The rollback could also help keep older coal plants running longer by removing costly carbon capture requirements, he says. "They'll find ways to keep it going … especially when the demand has been so incredibly high in the state."

Threat level: The rollback targets carbon dioxide, but coal plants that stay open longer could also keep emitting nitrogen oxides, sulfur oxides and heavy metals, Krishnamoorti says.

• Nitrogen oxides contribute to air pollution and can cause breathing problems.
• Fossil fuel emissions are a leading driver of climate change, contributing to rising temperatures, sea-level rise and extreme weather.

What they're saying: "There's going to be carbon emissions that we will continue to see grow in the state of Texas because of this change," Krishnamoorti says.

🎨 Stop by the gayborhood. Oak Lawn Live will span four blocks and offer programming across three stages, coinciding with Dallas' September Pride Week. The lineup includes concerts, guest appearances and local vendors.

• Noon-10pm on Saturday, followed by a parade down Cedar Springs Road at 2pm Sunday. Free.

👏🏼 Honor Hispanic heritage. Your options this weekend include the Fort Worth Botanic Garden's free admission and Latin American flag parade on Saturday, a free comedy show at the Latino Cultural Center in Dallas and Cedar Hill's Hispanic Heritage Fest.

• The Mexican norteño band Grupo Duelo performs Saturday night at Dos Equis Pavilion.

👟 Walk away your stress. Explore Plano's hidden gems while learning about walking meditation techniques at this mindful wellness walk.

• Multiple slots this weekend. Starts at 1418 Coffee in downtown Plano. $22.

👀 Fall weather could be more distant this year because of the recent extreme heat. "This is not your normal September heat," a WFAA meteorologist says. (KERA)

📈 The Federal Reserve raised interest rates a quarter point yesterday and hinted that another rate hike is on the way this year. (Axios)

🚨 Grapevine police arrested a 39-year-man who they said coached youth football and volunteered at a church on a charge of child sex abuse and were looking for other alleged victims. (DMN)

👋 Asher here, from Axios Austin.

I hopped into the future on Tuesday, taking one of Tesla's new Cybercabs from my home near the University of Texas campus to Sandy's, an old-fashioned hamburger spot across town.

Why it matters: With Waymo and Tesla operating driverless cabs in Dallas and Austin, the cities feel very much like competitive playing fields for self-driving vehicles.

• Tesla's gold-colored Cybercab — which has no steering wheel, pedals or side mirrors — currently offers rides only in limited areas of Austin, but Tesla plans to expand the service to other cities in Texas.
• The four-door Model Y Tesla Robotaxi is currently available in Dallas.

Vibe check: The two-door, two seat Cybercab felt sleek and spartan. Unlike a Waymo, it has no side-view mirrors and no chunky spinning lidar sensors.

• Inside, it was barren, except for a screen that allowed you to hook up your phone to use Netflix, Apple Music or a dozen or so other apps — or to play video games.

Yes, but: The Cybercab dropped me off at a Whataburger next to Sandy's.

• "That area is blocked off," the customer service person told me after I called the support line. When I asked for details, he said, "I'm not at liberty to discuss that." (Nothing was blocking the parking lot.)
• When I ordered a Model Y to return home, the car waited for me at the Whataburger.

🍔 The bottom line: Maybe Elon likes Whataburger more than Sandy's?

This newsletter was edited by Bob Gee.

Our picks:

☹️ Naheed is reading Robert Wilonsky's column about historic homes burning in South Dallas.

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