Alabama could soon take control of coal ash permitting from the federal government under a proposal announced Monday by the Trump administration’s Environmental Protection Agency.

The EPA proposed approving a 2026 application from the Alabama Department of Environmental Management to oversee the disposal of coal combustion residuals in landfills and surface impoundments.

Coal combustion residuals, commonly called coal ash, include materials left behind when power plants burn coal to generate electricity.

If finalized, ADEM’s program would operate in place of the federal permitting program. EPA said its review found that the state’s application meets federal standards for approval.

“As we Unleash American Energy Dominance at the Trump EPA, we know that Alabama understands its own resources and topography better than bureaucrats in D.C.,” EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin said.

“Today’s proposal to approve Alabama’s CCR permit program gives the power to oversee those resources to the state, which is yet another win for cooperative federalism.”

Zeldin said the administration trusts states and local communities to balance economic growth with environmental protection.

“This Administration trusts local communities to make common-sense decisions that grow the economy and protect human health and the environment,” he said.

The proposal represents a reversal from the EPA’s handling of Alabama’s previous application.

In 2024, the Biden administration rejected ADEM’s 2021 request to run the program. EPA said at the time that permits issued by Alabama applied some technical standards that were less protective than federal requirements.

Alabama’s new application takes a different approach.

ADEM did not ask EPA to approve the coal ash permits the state has already issued. If the program receives final approval, those permits would be reviewed and issued under the approved rules, including a new public comment period.

ADEM says Alabama has 14 regulated coal ash units at eight sites across the state. Nine are unlined surface impoundments undergoing closure, while the remaining units include lined landfills and impoundments.

The state agency identifies closing unlined units and addressing groundwater affected by coal ash as the two primary issues facing the program.

Federal law requires approved state programs to be at least as protective of human health and the environment as EPA regulations.

EPA will accept public comments on Alabama’s proposed program approval through September 14. The agency will also hold a virtual public hearing on September 3 beginning at 9 a.m. Central Time.

Sawyer Knowles is a state and political reporter for Yellowhammer News. You may contact him at [email protected].