The Trump administration rolled back one of the most comprehensive Obama-era regulations with the hope of reviving the flailing coal industry. It erased regulations that required each state to meet certain carbon emission targets, and eased the environmental requires on waste from coal and fossil power plants. It also removed requirements for existing plants to upgrade to more efficient systems. The regulations were first instituted in response to a 2008 disaster in which over a billion gallons of waste from a coal ash pond flooded a Tennessee town, and another 2014 spill in North Carolina had millions of gallons pour into a river.

Trump, who has called climate change a “Chinese hoax,” has also overseen the rollback of protections for endangered species and regulations for offshore rigs.

New York Times – E.P.A. to Roll Back Rules to Control Toxic Ash from Coal Plant
Politico – Trump rolls back Obama’s biggest climate rule
US News & World Report – EPA Moves to Rollback Coal Power Plant Waste Rules
Market Watch – Trump administration rolls back Obama-era regulations on coal pollution