Why is the SMCRA of 1977 so important?
Today marks the 40th Anniversary of the passage of the Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act (SMCRA). It was Congress’s intent in passing SMCRA in 1977 to “protect society and the environment from the adverse effects of surface coal mining operations.”
What does the SMCRA dictate?
The Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act of 1977 (SMCRA) prohibits surface coal mining within the boundaries of any unit of the National Park System. SMCRA also provides the NPS with authority over permitting decisions regarding external surface coal mining.
Was the Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act amended?
SMCRA created an Abandoned Mine Land (AML) fund to pay for the cleanup of mine lands abandoned before the passage of the statute in 1977. The law was amended in 1990 to allow funds to be spent on the reclamation of mines abandoned after 1977.
Is the SMCRA successful?
This is the true success of SMCRA. About 29.5 billion tons of coal have been mined while SMCRA has been in place. Most of that, about 90 percent, was used to generate electrical power. During this same time, the coal mining industry has successfully reclaimed more than 2 million acres (2,238,560) of mined lands.
Why was the SMCRA created?
The Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act (SMCRA) of 1977 is the primary federal law that regulates the environmental effects of coal mining in the United States. SMCRA created two programs: one for reclaiming abandoned mine lands and a second for regulating active coal mines.
Why was the SMCRA made?
Congress passed the SMCRA, which was signed by President Jimmy Carter, to “assure that the coal supply essential to the Nation’s energy requirements, and to its economic and social well-being, is provided and to strike a balance between protection of the environment and agricultural productivity and the Nation’s need …
When and why was the SMCRA written?
The Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act (SMCRA) was enacted in 1977 and was the overriding federal regulation governing mining and reclamation of surface coal mines in the United States of America (USA). Many of the newest surface mines in the USA, at that time, were in the western portion of the nation.
Why was the SMCRA written?
When and why was the Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act written?
of August 3, 1977, and subsequent amenments thereto (30 U.S.C. 1201 & following). AN ACT To provide for the cooperation between the Secretary of the Interior and the States with respect to the regulation of surface coal mining operations, and the acquisition and reclamation of abandoned mines, and for other purposes.
Why was SMCRA made?
Why abandoned mines post problems?
Many surface and underground abandoned mines, and their associated spoil and refuse piles, provide an ongoing source of acid mine drainage and toxic heavy metals that can have long-term devastating impacts on groundwater, community water supplies, rivers, streams, and aquatic life.
When was SMCRA signed into legislation?
August 3, 1977
The Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act (SMCRA) was signed into law on August 3, 1977, after 5 years of Congressional debate and two Presidential vetoes. The Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement (OSM) was created to implement the law.
Does the SMCRA violate the 10th Amendment?
In Hodel v. Virginia Surface Mining & Reclamation Association, Inc., 452 U.S. 264 (1981) the Supreme Court of the United States found the SMCRA does not violate the Tenth Amendment to the United States Constitution.
What is SMCRA and how does it work?
SMCRA gives government regulators the authority to inspect mining operations, and to punish companies that violate SMCRA or an equivalent state statute. Inspectors can issue “notices of violation,” which require operators to correct problems within a certain amount of time; levy fines; or order that mining cease.
What are the SMCRA permit requirements?
SMCRA requires that companies obtain permits before conducting surface mining. Permit applications must describe what the premining environmental conditions and land use are, what the proposed mining and reclamation will be, how the mine will meet the SMCRA performance standards, and how the land will be used after reclamation is complete.