By Valerie Volcovici

WASHINGTON, (Reuters) – Tuesday saw the Environmental Protection Agency announce new measures to forcibly utilities strengthen protections from toxic coal ash contamination at power plants. These steps were delayed by Trump’s administration.

Unlined pits can allow coal ash to seep into groundwater, and cause damage to drinking water supplies.

Agency said that it would set new deadlines and notify plants which had requested extensions to close unlined mines.

Incorrect coal ash disposal has been a burden on communities that have already been disproportionately affected by pollution for too long. Today’s actions will help us protect communities and hold facilities accountable,” EPA Administrator Michael Regan said.

Coal Ash is kept at power stations across the country in hundreds. In the past 10 years, toxic materials were released into the rivers by spillages from Tennessee and North Carolina.

A 2019 report https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-coalash/coal-ash-contaminates-groundwater-near-most-u-s-coal-plants-study-idUSKCN1QL0CH by the Environmental Integrity Project and Earthjustice found that 241 of 265 coal plants, or 91%, that were subject to EPA monitoring requirement showed unsafe levels of one or more coal ash components in nearby groundwater compared to EPA standards.

The Obama administration’s 2015 coal and wastewater rules had established minimum national standards for the disposal of coal ash, forcing coal plants to shut down unlined pits in 2019 and recycle 100% of their system’s water, according to an EPA rule summary.

In 2020, the Trump administration delayed the 2015 rule deadlines and reduced monitoring and storage requirements in order to help companies save millions each year on regulatory costs.

This allowed utilities the right to keep pouring their waste into 500 unlined coke ash ponds through April 2021. It also exempted certain facilities from plastic coating their basins if they fulfilled specific criteria.

Regan, who was previously the North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality Director since 2017, had been an integral part of efforts to make large companies such as EPA administrators. Duke Energy Corp (NYSE: ) is responsible for polluting.