Strip-Mine Reclamation Laws and Regional Cost Implications

Surface mining, until recent years, concentrated on the recovery of the minerals rather than the recovery of the land. From 1870 to 1930 more than 1.3 billion tons of coal were mined and roughly 250,000 acres were disturbed. In the period 1930-1971, 3,357,000 acres of land were disturbed by surface mining. Approximately 43 percent of this total (1,436,000 acres) was partially or totally reclaimed. Since 1971 most surface-mined land has undergone at least partial reclamation, depending on the state where mining took place. If the nation's estimated 1 trillion tons of coal reserves were developed, approximately 200 million acres would be disturbed by surface mining in the three major coal producing regions (Appalachia, Midwest, and the Mountain West; Figure 1). Evaluation of the economic cost of reclamation to meet these laws, and (3) to analyze the effects of these costs on different coal producing regions.