EPA PROPOSES TO GUT COAL ASH SAFEGUARDS AND CLEANUP REQUIREMENTS

Earthjustice reports that the EPA has proposed a rule to gut the 2015 and 2024 coal ash regulations, which would exempt hundreds of dumps from regulation and allow companies to delay or avoid cleaning up toxic contamination. The briefing details specific proposed rollbacks, such as removing safety standards for waste piles and permitting higher levels of heavy metals in contaminated water. Earthjustice intends to challenge these actions in court and urges members of Congress to oppose the proposal.

• The EPA's proposed rule seeks to dismantle protections for both operating and former coal power plant sites, including exempting hundreds of coal ash dumps from regulation and allowing owners to "minimize, delay, or entirely avoid cleanup of contamination at their facilities."
• Specific proposed rollbacks include exempting 'Coal Combustion Residual Management Units' (CCRMU), removing safety standards for coal ash 'piles', and allowing the use of coal ash as a substitute for clean soil in areas like parks and hospitals despite the presence of radium and arsenic.
• The proposed rule would weaken groundwater monitoring by allowing companies to assess contamination 150 or more meters from a dump rather than at the edge, and it would permit states and the EPA to allow levels of lead, cobalt, molybdenum, and lithium in contaminated water to exceed federal safe standards.
• The Trump administration has taken further actions to weaken oversight, including issuing guidance in March 2025 that essentially halted enforcement of coal ash rules and approving deficient state permitting programs in North Dakota and Wyoming.

APA

Earthjustice (2026). EPA PROPOSES TO GUT COAL ASH SAFEGUARDS AND CLEANUP REQUIREMENTS. https://earthjustice.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/pac_coal_ash_report_052926_0609.pdf

Chicago

Earthjustice. EPA PROPOSES TO GUT COAL ASH SAFEGUARDS AND CLEANUP REQUIREMENTS. 2026. https://earthjustice.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/pac_coal_ash_report_052926_0609.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Earthjustice |title=EPA PROPOSES TO GUT COAL ASH SAFEGUARDS AND CLEANUP REQUIREMENTS |date=April 2026 |url=https://earthjustice.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/pac_coal_ash_report_052926_0609.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{earthjustice2026epa, author = {{Earthjustice}}, title = {{EPA PROPOSES TO GUT COAL ASH SAFEGUARDS AND CLEANUP REQUIREMENTS}}, institution = {Earthjustice}, year = {2026}, month = apr, url = {https://earthjustice.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/pac_coal_ash_report_052926_0609.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }