Oklahoma sues federal agency over coal mining oversight

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) - Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt says the state is suing the U.S. Department of the Interior over the federal agency’s plan to strip Oklahoma of its jurisdiction to regulate coal mining on tribal reservations.

Stitt announced the lawsuit on Monday against the federal agency and U.S. Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland.

The lawsuit was filed Friday in federal court in Oklahoma City.

The U.S. Department of the Interior notified the state earlier this year it planned to strip Oklahoma of its jurisdiction to regulate surface coal mining within the Muscogee Nation reservation.

Stitt claims the move is “federal overreach.”