Trump EPA proposes loosening restrictions on toxic coal ash disposal
Federal regulators this week proposed a rule that would loosen restrictions on the storage of toxic waste that is created by burning coal to produce electricity, a move that critics say favors industry interests over public health.
The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) says the move would offer regulatory relief for industry “while continuing to protect human health and the environment,” but opponents warn it would exempt hundreds of coal ash dumps from regulations and allow owners of coal power plant sites to skirt or delay cleanup efforts, toppling safeguards that protect drinking water sources across the country from contamination with toxic waste.
“The Trump administration just took a sledgehammer to the health protections in place for toxic coal pollution,” Lisa Evans, senior counsel at Earthjustice, said in a statement.
“This is yet another handout to the coal power industry at the expense of our health, water, and wallets, Evans said.
Coal ash is laced with arsenic, lead, radium and other pollutants linked to health harms, including cancer, heart disease and brain damage. Industry data suggests at least 91% of 265 coal plants across the US contaminate groundwater above levels considered safe.
In addition to coal ash, communities across the US continue suffering from exposure to harmful coal dust, the unburned coal particles that blow from uncovered terminals and train cars into nearby neighborhoods as coal is transported.
Among other measures, the proposed rule, announced April 9, would introduce less stringent requirements for groundwater monitoring near some coal ash dumps and would make it easier for coal ash to be reused. The agency would eliminate a current requirement for an analysis showing that placing 12,400 tons or more of loose coal ash on land does not pose risks to human health or the environment.
The new rule would also exclude from federal regulations coal ash use in cement manufacturing and the production of wallboard and a type of soil amendment and fertilizer used in agriculture.
“These commonsense changes … reflect EPA’s commitment to restoring American energy dominance, strengthening cooperative federalism, and accommodating unique circumstances at certain [coal combustion residuals] facilities,” EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin said in a statement.
The EPA will hold a public comment period for the proposed rule, which will expire 60 days after it is published in the Federal Register.
The Trump EPA’s proposed rollbacks come on the heels of a final rule the agency announced in February that would extend the timeline for facilities to comply with groundwater monitoring provisions.
They also come in the wake of a host of other deregulatory actions, including another proposed rule that would roll back protections for communities living in the shadows of hazardous chemical plants that put them at risk for exposure to toxic releases and explosions.
These most recent rollbacks, which apply to both current and now-closed coal ash sites, weaken protections strengthened under the Biden administration.
The Trump administration’s moves to loosen coal ash regulations appear to align with specific industry requests.
A letter from power plant operators, sent to Zeldin in January 2025, called for “immediate action” on “the unprecedented expansion” of federal coal ash regulations, saying the rules exceed the EPA’s statutory authority.
A June 2025 whitepaper submitted to EPA by electric utilities laid out specific actions for weakening coal ash restrictions, calling to “refine the scope” of regulated coal ash areas at power plants, with exemptions for some closed-down units, and to “prioritize and streamline approval of state permitting programs,” among other actions.
Featured image: Johannes Heel/Unsplash
