The Trump administration will give utilities around the country an additional year to come up with a plan to clean up contaminated waterways.
The Environmental Protection Agency said on Thursday that it would give utility companies an additional year to begin cleaning up contamination from toxic coal ash landfills across the country.
Coal ash, a byproduct of burning coal in power plants, can contain lead, lithium and mercury. Those toxic metals can pollute waterways and drinking water supplies and have been linked to health effects including cancer, birth defects and developmental delays in children.
The E.P.A.’s move was a victory for utilities that had lobbied the Trump administration to delay the cleanup requirements. But environmentalists warned that it threatened the health of the predominantly poor communities near coal plants nationwide.
Under a rule finalized by the Biden administration last year, utilities had until February 2026 to report to the E.P.A. any contamination from their coal ash landfills. The utilities had until May 2028 to install groundwater monitoring systems and to start drafting plans for cleaning up the contamination.
The E.P.A. said on Thursday that it would extend these deadlines by at least a year, until February 2027 and August 2029, respectively.
“President Trump recognizes that affordable and reliable energy are key to the strength of our nation and to our nation’s energy dominance,” Lee Zeldin, the E.P.A. administrator, said in a statement. “Today’s actions provide much needed regulatory relief for the power sector.”