The Trump administration granted North Dakota’s request to regulate over a dozen coal ash dumps, making it the fourth state overseeing those waste sites rather than EPA.
EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin traveled to Bismarck on Wednesday to announce the final agency decision, appearing alongside Rep. Julie Fedorchak (R-N.D.), Republican Gov. Kelly Armstrong, and other state and EPA officials.
The approval is the latest sign of EPA blazing forward with Trump administration priorities during the government shutdown at the same time as it has furloughed thousands of workers.
Coal ash is the by-product of burning coal for energy and contains toxic pollutants such as mercury, arsenic and lead. The Water Infrastructure Improvements for the Nation Act, enacted in 2016, gave states the authority to develop and enforce coal ash oversight programs, so long as they meet federal environmental requirements.
