The EPA will soon be releasing a new rule on the use of fly ash.
The fly ash is residue from coal fired power plants. In North Dakota, it’s used in roads and parking lots – and as part of the grout injected into abandoned underground coal mines.
"It's been one of the largest reclamation techniques we've used," said Bill Dodd, the assistant director of the Public Service Commission’s abandoned mine lands program. "It's been very successful."
Dodd says he hopes the EPA will continue to allow the practice.
"It has saved money for the people of North Dakota," said Dodd. "It's a good product for us."
Fly ash is also used in parking lots and highways. About 40 percent of the fly ash from North Dakota power plants is sold.
