DES MOINES, Iowa - The Trump administration has taken 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.

According to an Earthjustice report , Iowa's coal ash dumps contain more than 18 million cubic yards of coal ash, which is the equivalent of a football field piled more than a mile and a half high with coal ash. MidAmerican Energy and Alliant Energy own more than 30 of Iowa's coal ash dumps, including those in Council Bluffs, Sioux City, and Ottumwa. At these sites, arsenic, lithium, boron, and other hazardous chemicals have contaminated the groundwater, posing health risks like cancer, neurological damage, and other serious illnesses. The discharge of untreated, toxic coal ash has already been a serious issue in waterways like the Des Moines River near Ottumwa, contributing to Iowans' growing concern over water quality.

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. The Trump administration's announcement erases more than a decade of progress, leaving millions of Americans exposed to preventable, life-threatening harm.

In response, Sierra Club's Beyond Coal Organizer for Iowa, Emma Colman, issued the following statement:

"Protecting Iowa's water should be a top priority, but where MidAmerican and Alliant already fail to meet the bare minimum required by law, the Trump administration has lowered the bar even further. Iowans have enough to worry about with water quality and rising cancer rates. We don't need dirty, old coal plants poisoning our water too. Utility companies need to be held accountable by our state agencies and public officials for unnecessarily continuing to burn coal and hurt our communities."

Sierra Club Senior Attorney Bridget Lee added:

"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.

"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."