June 30, 2025 - EPA will revise a Biden-era water regulation that seeks to limit toxic pollution from coal plants, in the Trump administration's latest attempt to bolster the struggling industry.

The agency will propose extending compliance deadlines for a 2024 rule that requires coal power plants to effectively eliminate heavy metals and other pollutants from three wastewater streams. EPA will also “explore other flexibilities” to promote use of coal for power generation, the agency said in a news release Monday.

Administrator Lee Zeldin said the planned revisions would advance President Donald Trump’s pro-coal agenda.

“We know there are serious concerns about the compliance timelines, and we must consider more realistic options that may prevent the burdensome costs required by the current regulation from hurting American families,” Zeldin said in a statement.

The rule requires coal plant owners to achieve “zero discharge” of pollutants from three waste streams: flue gas desulfurization, bottom ash transport water and leachate. Plant owners have until 2029 to comply under the rule, unless they agree to permanently stop burning coal by 2034.