More than 100 speakers signed up to comment Thursday on whether the Environmental Protection Agency should regulate the disposal of coal ash under rules for hazardous waste.

Several power producers told the EPA that such regulation could threaten jobs and raise electricity rates, while business owners said it could affect their livelihoods.

But some ranchers and residents from New Mexico and Montana who live near coal ash waste ponds said they’re worried for their health and that it’s time for tough federal regulation.

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