EPA Kicks Off Approval of North Dakota’s Coal Ash Permit Program

The EPA is starting the process of putting North Dakota, rather than the federal government, in charge of the way the state disposes of potentially toxic coal waste.

North Dakota’s bid is the latest state-led attempt to take control from the Environmental Protection Agency over how the waste, known as coal ash, is managed. Several states have said they need more flexibility to help the struggling coal sector, which President Donald Trump is trying to revive.

If North Dakota’s program application is approved, it would join Texas, Oklahoma, and Georgia as the only states with their own coal combustion residuals ...