WASHINGTON - The Trump administration wants to trash Obama-era rules to limit water pollution from coal-fired power plants.

The Environmental Protection Agency administrator announced the change this week. Administrator Scott Pruitt sent a letter to a coalition of energy companies that lobbied against the 2015 water pollution rule.

The rule would have required utilities by next year to cut the amounts of toxic heavy metals like arsenic, lead and mercury in the wastewater piped from their plants into rivers and lakes.

The Utility Water Act Group petitioned Pruitt last month, claiming that tighter limits on polluted wastewater would result in plant closures and job losses. Pruitt responded Wednesday, saying he would delay compliance with the rule while EPA reconsiders the restrictions.

Environmental groups oppose the regulatory rollback.