The Environmental Protection Agency is moving to transfer oversight of toxic coal ash ponds to state regulators under the Trump administration. The change would expand authority already held by five states and potentially weaken federal protections established in 2015. Critics warn that reduced state funding could leave communities vulnerable to groundwater contamination.
Large unlined lagoons filled with coal ash sit along rivers across Georgia and other states, allowing heavy metals like arsenic and mercury to leach into groundwater. The Obama-era rules required monitoring and cleanup, but loopholes left many inactive sites unregulated. In April the EPA proposed exempting older disposal areas and giving states more flexibility in monitoring plans.