November 9, 2026 - The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency wants to know what you think about its approval of a state coal ash program.

The agency will collect comments at a public hearing Nov. 12 and online through Nov. 16.

In September, the EPA approved a state petition for the Indiana Department of Environmental Management to take over the program for permitting and management of coal ash dumps, known officially as coal combustion residuals. The EPA previously had run the program.

Coal ash is created when coal is burned for energy. It contains toxic heavy metals, some of which have been known to cause cancer.

According to the nonprofit environmental law organization Earthjustice, there are about 1,000 coal ash dumps in Indiana. 

That includes eight coal ash ponds at the AES Indiana Harding Street Station on the south side. 

In 2024, groundwater monitors at several coal ash ponds there detected arsenic, lithium and molybdenum at levels above federal safety standards. In 2020, the metals were found to have migrated offsite into a neighboring quarry.

The state will have to abide by federal regulations, but under state law IDEM’s permitting program would not be allowed to be more stringent than the federal government’s.

How to comment

The EPA will hold a public hearing from 2-6 p.m. Nov. 12 at the Indiana Government Center, 302 W. Washington St., at Wabash Hall Conference Rooms 4 and 5. Residents can share their comments about the agency’s decision. 

Comments can also be submitted online until Nov. 16.