The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency announced on March 12 the agency will undertake 31 deregulatory actions to advance President Donald Trump’s Day One executive orders, one which impacts groundwater.
The EPA is prioritizing several timely actions on coal ash, including state permit program reviews and updates to coal ash regulations. The EPA will work with state partners to place implementation of the coal ash regulations more fully into state hands. This will empower those with local expertise to oversee more effective coal ash disposal operations.
The EPA is also reviewing the Legacy-Coal Combustion Residuals Management Units Rule. A key part of that review is evaluating whether to grant short- and long-term relief such as extending compliance deadlines. The agency aims to complete rule changes within a year.
In the past, NGWA supported regulations for closure and monitoring of legacy unlined coal ash ponds to protect groundwater as well as not extending closure deadlines. NGWA stated in March 2023 that "Both private and public wells drawing on groundwater sources could be impacted with long periods of storage extension in unlined impoundments.”
Click here to read more about the coal ash.
Click here to read more about the 31 deregulatory actions.