State files lawsuit to block Dept. of Interior rule

North Dakota filed a lawsuit Tuesday against a federal law which officials say could severely curtail coal mining operations in the state, calling it an unconstitutional overreach into state regulation of industry.

The U.S. Department of the Interior unveiled its final Stream Protection Rule on Monday, which the agency says updates decades-old rules and would minimize impacts on surface and groundwater sources from coal mining.

Members of the Public Service Commission met in a special meeting with Attorney General Wayne Stenehjem Tuesday morning and agreed to move forward with filing suit in the U.S. District Court in Washington, D.C.

“This is the epitome of a midnight regulation,” Stenehjem said in a release announcing the lawsuit. “This case involves a last-ditch effort by the outgoing administration to encroach on the clear authority granted to the state of North Dakota and the Public Service Commission.”

Read more: http://bismarcktribune.com/news/local/govt-and-politics/state-files-lawsuit-to-block-dept-of-interior-rule/article_fbda0358-5bf1-5cf3-b4a2-9dd8ac1319e3.html