Coal ash polluted Indiana’s water for nearly a century before cleanup rules went into effect in 2015 but now the federal government is trying to roll those rules back.
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency on April 9 proposed revisions to how coal-burning facilities dispose of coal ash, saying in a news release the changes would “advance U.S. energy dominance,” a recurring theme when the government tries to undo environmental regulations.
The proposed changes, which are open for public comment, relax federal standards for cleanup and instead offer site-specific permits for cleanup. In addition, the revisions introduce new uses for the ash, including the ability to reuse it in cement and concrete mixes.
EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin said in an April 9 news release the proposed rule changes are “common sense.”
“Our proposed changes will increase transparency and promote resource recovery while continuing to protect human health and the environment for all Americans now and into the future,” Zeldin said in the release.
However, environmental and public health advocates in Indiana, which has more coal ash sites than any other state, say the rollback will hurt Hoosiers and the state’s waters.
EPA ‘decimates’ coal ash rules
Coal ash contains pollutants such as arsenic, chromium, lead, mercury and other heavy metals linked to cancer, heart disease and reproductive failure.
Indra Frank, coal ash advisor for the Hoosier Environmental Council, said coal ash disposal has been inadequate for decades, leading to caused water contamination, spills and dust hazards. Then 10 years ago, the situation started to improve.
“We were starting to see improvements because of the 2015 rule,” Frank said, “but this new EPA proposal decimates those cleanup requirements.”
Indiana’s Town of Pines experienced the negative effects of coal ash when the substance was used as construction fill and not properly contained during disposal. Frank said that cleanup took more than 20 years and the EPA rollback could lead to similar scenarios elsewhere.
“This is going to return to practices that force more communities to suffer like Pines did,” Frank said.
A coalition of advocacy groups published a news release April 13 saying the proposed rule changes would affect most of the coal ash sites in Indiana.
Citizens Action Coalition, the Hoosier Chapter Sierra Club, Just Transition Northwest Indiana and the League of Women Voters of Indiana all signed the release saying the rollbacks would gut Indiana’s protections.
Ashley Williams, executive director of Just Transition NWI, said the proposed rollback reverses hard-won progress.
“This is an all-out attack on our Hoosier communities, which are home to more coal ash dumps than any other state in the country, from the shores of Lake Michigan to the banks of the Wabash, Ohio, and White Rivers,” Williams said. “What the Trump administration and the EPA are really saying is that in coal-impacted communities, our lives don’t matter.”
Coal ash cleanup rules
Federal coal ash rules in place since 2015 require coal ash pond owners to monitor groundwater for contamination at sites currently in use. Older, or legacy, coal ash sites were not subject to the rule.
In 2024, the U.S. EPA issued an updated rule addressing those legacy sites.
The new rules now relax federal standards for compliance at both types of sites and change how coal ash can be stored and used in different products.
Public asked to provide comments
The EPA on April 9 opened a 60-day public comment period for the coal ash changes. Instructions to provide comments can be found on the agency’s website.
Informational webinars on the rule changes are planned for April 15 and 16 prior to the public hearing set for May 28. The agency will accept public comments through June 12.
Karl Schneider is an IndyStar environment reporter. You can reach him at karl.schneider@indystar.com. Follow him on Twitter @karlstartswithk or BlueSky @karlstartswithk.bsky.social
IndyStar’s environmental reporting project is made possible through the generous support of the nonprofit Nina Mason Pulliam Charitable Trust.
This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Coal ash rollback ‘all-out attack’ on Indiana communities, groups say
Reporting by Karl Schneider, Indianapolis Star / Indianapolis Star
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