Trump Administration Guts Kentuckians’ Health Protections to Bolster Big Coal

LOUISVILLE, KY. - 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 - including several Kentucky communities - exposed to preventable, life-threatening harm.

Kentucky's long history with coal means a long history and future with coal ash. Notably, LG&E and KU's currently operating Trimble and Ghent coal plants are two of the top 15 sites in the country for ground water contamination as a result of coal ash generated from the plants. In 2025, the Kentucky Public Service Commission approved LG&E and KU's request to charge customers at least $152 million to keep the over fifty year old Ghent plant operating and producing coal ash instead of retiring it as the utility had originally requested in 2023.

In response, Elisa Owen, Kentucky's Beyond Coal Campaign Senior Organizer, issued the following statement:

"There is no major organ system in the human body not impacted by coal ash contamination. By polluting the air, ground water, and soil, coal ash damages Kentucky's public health and local ecosystems. Weakening standards and delaying deadlines does nothing to ease the burden of Kentuckians facing the physical, emotional, and financial toll of this devastation. Instead, the Trump administration's proposed rollbacks buy time for the coal corporations who made the mess in the first place. As the Beyond Coal Campaign, we will continue to fight these and other rollbacks, championing strong coal ash protections that put people over polluter profits."

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."