The Trump administration is dismantling Biden-era coal ash regulations that required utilities to monitor inactive coal plant sites and protect nearby groundwater, pushing enforcement down to the state level and allowing states to bypass national standards in some cases.
At a virtual EPA public comment hearing Thursday, environmental advocates including Lisa Evans, senior counsel at Earthjustice and former EPA attorney, testified directly against the rollbacks. Evans stated the administration has 'jeopardized the nation's drinking water supplies as a favor to polluters.' Hundreds of coal ash sites across the country are affected.
The full article is worth reading for the scope of opposition voiced and the specific regulatory mechanisms being dismantled, including the 2024 Biden EPA rule repealed in April 2026. The groundwater protection rollback details are the story inside the story.
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