WASHINGTON, D.C. — The Environmental Protection Agency on April 9, 2026, proposed weakening rules for the disposal of coal ash, a waste product that can contain hazardous heavy metals and contaminate groundwater. The proposal would ease standards for monitoring and protecting groundwater near some coal ash sites and roll back requirements that cleanup extend to entire coal properties rather than just the locations where ash was dumped.

The revisions would also make it easier to reuse coal ash for other purposes. The EPA proposal seeks to lift restrictions on the use of coal ash — referred to by the agency as "beneficial use" — in secondary materials such as cement and structural fill. Under the proposal, standards to clean up coal ash used to create land at the Michigan City Generating Station in Indiana and at many other sites would be eliminated. The proposal would still require coal ash owners to ensure that the ash poses no reasonable probability of adverse effects on human health and the environment.

EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin said the proposal reflects the agency's commitment to "restoring American energy dominance, strengthening cooperative federalism, and accommodating unique circumstances at certain coal facilities." The EPA said that industry and others have asserted that health risks from coal ash were overstated in previous agency assessments.

The proposal follows other Trump administration actions to weaken clean air and water standards as part of regulatory changes for the fossil fuel industry. The administration halted the planned shutdown of several coal plants, citing the need for consistent power during major storms or periods of high demand and arguing that without it the electrical grid would be less reliable. Earlier in 2026, the EPA weakened limits on mercury and other toxic emissions from coal-fired power plants.

Federal regulation of coal ash began after a 2008 dike failure in Tennessee spread coal ash over 300 acres and prompted the EPA to act. In 2014, tens of thousands of tons of coal ash spilled in North Carolina. During the Obama administration, the EPA first set standards for coal ash that required companies to line new storage sites, monitor water, and close leaky ponds, often requiring material to be moved elsewhere. In 2024, the Biden administration eliminated exemptions that had been granted to some older coal ash sites and set deadlines for cleanup. The Biden-era rule required the cleanup of sites such as the Michigan City Generating Station on Lake Michigan.

Coal-fired power plants are often located on the banks of rivers or other waterways, with coal ash storage areas nearby. Burning coal produces large amounts of ash containing heavy metals such as mercury, lead, and cobalt. If not stored properly, coal ash can contaminate groundwater. In 2022, the EPA rebuffed the Gen. James Gavin Power Plant in southern Ohio for trying to close a coal ash disposal site that was in contact with groundwater. In January 2025, coal industry entities asked Zeldin to revise the agency's stance on closing coal ash disposal sites in contact with groundwater.

"This is yet another handout to the coal power industry at the expense of our health, water, and wallets," said Lisa Evans, senior counsel at Earthjustice.