Environmentalists turn out in force to oppose Trump coal ash rollbacks

Here's something that might surprise you — environmentalists are rallying hard against the Trump administration’s latest move to weaken coal ash cleanup rules. During a virtual hearing, advocates like Lisa Evans from Earthjustice made it clear: this rollback threatens our drinking water by loosening protections at hundreds of coal sites across the country. According to Arcelia Martin writing in Technology, the Trump EPA aims to shift monitoring responsibilities to states, relaxing standards that were put in place just last year under Biden. Now, here's where it gets interesting — by relying more on states, the federal government could bypass stricter national safeguards, leaving communities exposed to toxic pollution. What’s especially concerning, as Evans points out, is that this could open the floodgates for polluters to dodge oversight. So, the real risk isn’t just about coal ash — it's about whether we’re willing to sacrifice public health for political convenience. The takeaway? When regulations get rolled back, it’s often communities that pay the price — and that’s a trend to watch for in environmental policy.