Trump’s EPA Grants Wyoming Power to Regulate Coal Waste

The EPA on Tuesday said it approved Wyoming’s bid to manage potentially toxic coal ash within its own borders, part of the Trump administration’s effort to hand more decision-making power from federal agencies down to the states.

With the widely-expected approval, Wyoming, rather than the Environmental Protection Agency, can now permit the disposal of partial coal combustion residuals in surface impoundments and landfills.

Oklahoma, Georgia, Texas, and North Dakota are the only other states to have taken control of their coal ash programs. North Dakota secured its approval in November.

Many states have said they need more flexibility to shore up the struggling coal sector, a key priority for President Donald Trump’s energy agenda. But critics counter that the cooperative federalism model isn’t the right approach for environmental regulation because the pollution generated in one state can have national and even global impacts—meaning a strong, central overseer is needed.

“By empowering state experts to manage their own resources, landscapes, facilities, and communities, Wyoming will use its local expertise to protect the environment and promote economic growth,” EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin said in a statement.

“For America to be energy dominant, we need Wyoming coal,” said Sen. John Barrasso (R-Wyo.). “I applaud the Environmental Protection Agency for recognizing that Wyoming is best positioned to manage coal ash—not Washington.”

Rep. Harriet Hageman (R-Wyo.) said the recent deep freezes across the nation have “once again demonstrated the need to support Wyoming’s coal industry as America’s top producer of this life-saving resource.” The coal ash decision “is an important step to clearing barriers for prosperity and reinforcing the power grid,” Hageman said.