EPA Moves to Ease Coal Ash Disposal Regulations Nationwide

The new framework would allow site-specific exemptions if no reasonable risk to health or environment is found.

A barge on the Ohio River moves past the Mountaineer Power Plant, a coal-fired power plant near New Haven, W.Va., on March 13, 2026. Carolyn Kaster/AP Photo

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) on April 9 proposed sweeping changes to federal rules governing the disposal of coal ash, a toxic waste product that can carry heavy metals such as mercury, lead, and cobalt into surrounding groundwater.

The proposal would ease monitoring requirements near some coal ash disposal sites, eliminate mandates requiring companies to remediate entire coal plant properties rather than only the specific areas where ash was deposited, and make it simpler to repurpose coal ash in construction materials such as cement and structural fill.