North Dakota can now set its own rules for coal ash disposal

The US environmental regulators are proposing to let North Dakota manage its own coal ash disposal program. This means the state, not the federal government, will decide how coal power plants handle their waste.

For decades, federal rules have dictated how states manage toxic coal ash. This change means North Dakota can now create its own, potentially less strict, regulations. This could lower costs for coal power plants in the state, but it also shifts environmental oversight from federal to state agencies.