Montana coal miners can now use their own data to prove environmental safety

Montana wants to change how it defines "material damage" to water and land from mining. It also wants to let mining companies collect their own data to show their projects will not harm water systems, if government data is not available.

For decades, mining companies had to rely on government agencies to provide data about potential environmental impacts. This change means companies can now collect and submit their own information. This could speed up the permitting process for new mines, but it also shifts the burden of proof and data collection to the industry itself.