Coal mining and the environment: Does SMCRA give regulators appropriate enforcement tools?
- United States Dept. of the Interior, Knoxville, TN (United States)
The Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act of 1977 (SMCRA), 30 U.S.C. 1201 et seq (1990), reshaped the regulation of coal mining and affored government regulators a comprehensive set of enforcement tools. Major controveries remain, such as the definitions haping the Application Violator System, and the extent of federal authority to oversee the states` primary enforcement responsibility. Despite these contentious issues the federal and state programs have fundamentally succeeded in enforcing SMCRA and have successfully altered the landscape of coal mining. The structure of SMCRA`s enforcement provisions is a critical factor in this success. The article discusses in more detain the following areas: the core of SMCRA: permits and Bonds; Maintaining Standards: inspections and sanction for noncompliance; the applicant violator system; other enforcement tools.
- OSTI ID:
- 28950
- Journal Information:
- Natural Resources and Environment, Vol. 8, Issue 1; Other Information: PBD: Spr 1994
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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