The Trump administration has tentatively approved Louisiana’s plan to regulate coal ash dump sites, setting the stage for the state to begin managing industrial waste generated from burning coal.
EPA proposed giving Louisiana partial authority over coal ash, finding that the state’s Department of Environmental Quality has the resources to ensure that nine ash dumps within its borders comply with federal regulations.
If the decision is finalized, Louisiana would be the sixth state granted primary oversight of coal ash, as opposed to EPA having that responsibility. The trend has picked up under EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin, with the agency most recently proposing to give Virginia oversight of coal ash in April.
“The Trump Administration knows that states are in the best position to implement their own environmental programs while powering our nation’s energy economy,” EPA Regional Administrator Scott Mason said in a news release.
