ND Sen. Hoeven: Let states regulate coal ash

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BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) — A company that sells coal ash to construction companies says the business would be ruined if the ash is labeled as hazardous waste.

North Dakota's coal industry is fighting a proposed Environmental Protection Agency rule that could lead to the ash being handled as hazardous waste.

North Dakota Sen. John Hoeven has introduced a bill that would let states regulate coal ash, as long as they follow federal standards for solid waste disposal.

Headwaters Resources general manager James Glass sells coal ash from North Dakota's Coal Creek power plant. It's used to make concrete. Glass says the recycled ash is substituted for cement and makes stronger concrete at less cost.

Glass says if the ash is labeled as hazardous waste, construction companies won't buy it.

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