Trump EPA to Gut Minnesotans’ Protections from Pollution to Bolster Coal

ST. PAUL, Minn. - 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 , Minnesota's coal ash dumps contain more than 37 million cubic yards of toxic coal ash, which is the equivalent of a football field piled more than 3 miles high with coal ash. Minnesota Power's Boswell coal plant in Cohasset has been the largest contributor to coal ash waste in the state and has posed significant harm to surrounding communities. In 2024, 5.5 million gallons of coal ash wastewater spilled from Boswell into Blackwater Lake and the Mississippi River.

Last year, the Sierra Club and other environmental advocates sent a letter to Minnesota Power demanding that the company address problems associated with the storage and management of coal ash wastewater, citing violations of federal regulations.

Arsenic, lithium, boron, and other hazardous chemicals in coal ash have contaminated the groundwater near Minnesota's coal ash dumps, posing health risks like cancer, neurological damage, and other serious illnesses. When investigating the spill at Boswell, the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency found high sulfate levels at Blackwater Lake due to the coal-ash contaminated water, polluting wild rice beds important to the Leech Lake Band of Ojibwe.

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 Beyond Coal Campaign Manager, Jenna Yeakle, issued the following statement:

"Minnesotans endured millions of gallons of coal ash wastewater contaminating our local waterways after the Boswell spill. For many, it was a wake-up call to the fact that coal plants not only poison the air we breathe but also the water we swim in, catch fish and harvest wild rice from, and drink. Trump's administration has only made it easier for utilities to keep polluting and pollute more. Utility companies like Minnesota Power must be held responsible for their deadly coal plant pollution and put an end to burning coal."

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."