The Trump administration is preparing to further unwind Biden-era cleanup requirements for hundreds of coal ash dump sites.
Days after EPA delayed pollution monitoring and inspection reports at many of the nation’s oldest coal ash dumps, the agency has proposed more changes to the federal government’s oversight of the waste. The details of the latest proposal, sent Monday to the White House Office of Management and Budget for review, are unclear.
Coal ash is what’s left over after coal is burned for power and constitutes one of the largest industrial waste streams in the U.S. The material contains toxic heavy metals and other pollutants that can contaminate groundwater if the waste is not properly stored.
In 2024, EPA moved to require coal plant owners to clean up ash dumps that had previously been unregulated, including ash stored at dormant power plants and other historical pollution sites. The new draft rule seeks to amend that policy, but EPA’s press office did not provide further details Tuesday.
