Donald Trump Guts Public Health Protection to Bolster Big Coal in Tennessee Valley

NASHVILLE - Today, Donald Trump's administration took direct aim at the health and lives of hundreds of American communities, announcing plans to gut critical protections against deadly coal ash pollution - one of the most toxic industrial waste streams in the country.

Coal ash contains a toxic brew of mercury, cadmium, chromium, and arsenic, which can cause cancer, neurological damage, and various other serious illnesses.

In 2014, the Environmental Protection Agency finally established the nation's first-ever coal ash pollution standards, implementing long overdue protections for communities against toxic coal ash in their water. In 2024, the EPA built on that foundation, closing loopholes and strengthening safeguards for the most vulnerable communities. Today's announcement erases more than a decade of progress, leaving millions of Americans exposed to preventable, life-threatening harm.

On Dec. 22, 2008, the impoundment at the Tennessee Valley Authority's Kingston coal plant failed, releasing 1 billion gallons of toxic coal ash onto 300 acres of land and into the Emory and Clinch rivers. The event remains the largest industrial disaster in the US and prompted the EPA to issue the first CCR Rule. Hundreds of Kingston cleanup workers have become sick with serious ailments, and more than 60 have died. Recently, TVA announced its plan to keep its Kingston and Cumberland coal plants operating for the foreseeable future , without allowing public input.

In response, the Sierra Club issued the following statements:

"Residents of the Tennessee Valley region know the horrific impacts of coal ash- we have seen what happens when coal ash storage impoundments fail and what happens to communities and workers who come into contact with toxic coal ash," said Bonnie Swinford, Sierra Club Beyond Coal Campaign Organizing Strategist . "We will always Remember Kingston and the hundreds of workers who have sacrificed their health cleaning up the coal ash disaster site. The Trump Administration and utilities like the TVA know about these impacts, yet they are halting a path to our clean energy future. The best way to protect our communities from toxic coal ash is to stop producing it. This is just a continuation of the Trump Administration trying to keep the public out of their energy decision-making while stripping away protections that keep our communities safe and healthy."

"It should come as no surprise that Donald Trump and his administration will sacrifice the health of Americans in order to line the pockets of corporate polluters. Today's proposal doesn't even try to hide the fact that it's an explicit handout to Big Coal," said Sierra Club Senior Attorney Bridget Lee. "Coal ash pollution has already cut too many American lives short. Our government should be strengthening safeguards against this toxic threat; instead, Donald Trump and Lee Zeldin are taking a sledgehammer to them. We will fight back against this reckless and illegal move and work to deliver a healthier future for the people who drink the water and breathe the air near coal ash dumps."