By MATTHEW DALY, THE ASSOCIATED PRESS - April 15, 2015

WASHINGTON — A House committee approved a bill Wednesday granting states authority to regulate waste generated from coal burned for electricity, largely bypassing a federal rule issued last year.

The House Energy and Commerce Committee approved the bill 32-19, sending the measure to the full House. The bill’s sponsor, Rep. David McKinley, R-W.Va., said it would improve a rule issued in December by the Environmental Protection Agency.

The EPA rule set the first national standards for so-called coal ash, treating it more like household garbage than a hazardous material. McKinley said the EPA rule leaves open the possibility that coal ash could be designated as hazardous, creating uncertainty for industry.

“The science has been determined — coal ash is not a hazardous material,” McKinley said. “But as a result of this administration’s executive actions, we have uncertainty” for more than 300,000 workers employed by coal ash recyclers and related industries.

McKinley’s bill would allow states to set up a coal ash permit program, using the federal rule as a minimum requirement. States that set up a program would be subject to regulation established by the EPA.

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