Bismarck, N.D. (AP) The North Dakota Public Service Commission has approved a permit for a new coal mine in the west-central part of the state.
Regulators on Wednesday approved the permit for Coyote Creek Mining Company, a subsidiary of Dallas, Texas-based North American Coal Corporation.
Regulators say the company's proposed Coyote Creek Mine near Beulah is the first major mine to be permitted in North Dakota since the late 1970s. The company still needs federal permits before the mine is built.
Coyote Creek Mining wants to begin delivering coal to the coyote power station in may 2016. Regulators say the power plant would use about 2.5 million tons of coal from the mine each year.