FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
July 18, 2025
CONTACT
Bri Knisley, Appalachian Voices, brianna@appvoices.org
Yesterday, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency announced that it will delay deadlines to require utilities to inspect coal ash contamination and begin to clean up coal ash impoundments with a draft extension rule and companion proposal. The action would change compliance deadlines set in the Legacy Coal Combustion Residuals rule, which was finalized last spring as part of a suite of regulations aimed to ensure fossil fuel power plants reduce their emissions and address a legacy of pollution.
Specifically, utilities will have at least an additional year to inspect their coal ash waste sites and to install groundwater monitoring systems. The extended deadlines come after utilities sent a letter to the EPA earlier this year asking for a rollback on the power plant rules. Coal ash is highly toxic, containing metals like lead and mercury. It can leak into groundwater, and coal ash impoundments threaten surrounding communities.
Statement from Bri Knisley, Director of Public Power Campaigns:
“These delays will come at the expense of communities who have long been suffering from toxic coal ash exposure at the hands of the utility industry. Electric utilities have already taken advantage of regulatory loopholes to avoid coal ash monitoring and clean up compliance at many sites for 10 years. In East Tennessee, we know what coal ash exposure does to workers and communities. EPA’s actions allow utilities to save money for corporate executives and shareholders while they continue to poison our water.”
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