The Environmental Protection Agency proposed to restore North Dakota’s state implementation plan for regional haze on Sept. 3, reversing a Biden administration decision that would have required stricter emissions controls on coal-fired power plants in the state.
The EPA framed the reversal as an action that would “allow baseload power to thrive,” aligning the move with the administration’s broader energy policy goals. The Biden-era partial disapproval had triggered the prospect of federally imposed emissions limits on North Dakota’s coal plants.
Regional haze rules address visibility impairment in national parks and wilderness areas under the Clean Air Act. The regulations require states to develop plans demonstrating reasonable progress toward eliminating human-caused haze in protected scenic areas, including Theodore Roosevelt National Park in North Dakota.
By proposing to accept North Dakota’s original state plan rather than imposing stricter federal requirements, the EPA is effectively allowing the state’s coal plants to continue operating under less stringent emissions controls than the Biden administration had sought.
The proposal directly affects the tension between fossil fuel energy production and air quality in some of the nation’s most treasured natural landscapes. Environmental groups including the National Parks Conservation Association and the American Lung Association are expected to challenge the reversal, arguing it will worsen air quality in national parks and surrounding communities.
Coal industry representatives and North Dakota officials have argued that the Biden-era disapproval threatened reliable baseload electricity generation and imposed disproportionate costs on the state’s energy sector.
The proposed rule must go through a public comment period before the EPA can finalize the reversal. Legal challenges are widely expected regardless of the outcome.
The Clean Air Act requires EPA to act on state haze plans and provides the agency authority to impose federal requirements when state plans are found inadequate.