Land reclamation research
The United States Department of Energy has assigned its Office of Environment the task of developing methods that will prevent or reduce damages caused by surface mining. Before that task can be accomplished, more must be learned about the functioning of organisms and their surroundings-the ecosystems threatened by disruptions from surface mining. While new federal and state laws require the full reclamation of mine sites, there is no assurance now that reclaimed areas can be self-sustaining, especially in the arid and semiarid West. To these ends, the Ecological Research Division within the Office of Health and Environmental Research of the Department's Office of Environment has begun a number of related programs aimed at understanding more clearly soils, plants, animals, and other components of the ecosystem so that ways may be found to improve environmental quality or to prevent damage from mining. Another aim is to produce efficient and cost-effective techniques for returning to productive use land that has been scarred by mining. Two national laboratories and six universities carry out these research programs. The work extends from broadly based studies, such as the effects of mining on the hydrologic balance, to very specific studies, such as evaluation of the reproductive cycle of a native grass.
- Research Organization:
- Argonne National Lab. (ANL), Argonne, IL (United States)
- Sponsoring Organization:
- USDOE
- DOE Contract Number:
- W-31-109-ENG-38
- OSTI ID:
- 6659669
- Report Number(s):
- DOE/EV-0131
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
Similar Records
Abandoned coal mine refuse areas: their reclamation and use
ENHANCEMENT OF TERRESTRIAL CARBON SINKS THROUGH RECLAMATION OF ABANDONED MINE LANDS IN THE APPALACHIAN REGION
Related Subjects
54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES
29 ENERGY PLANNING
POLICY AND ECONOMY
LAND RECLAMATION
RESEARCH PROGRAMS
SURFACE MINING
AIR QUALITY
COAL MINING
ECOLOGY
ENERGY CONSERVATION
HYDROLOGY
LAND USE
LEGAL ASPECTS
MINERAL WASTES
REVEGETATION
SOCIO-ECONOMIC FACTORS
TECHNOLOGY TRANSFER
US DOE
WASTE DISPOSAL
WATER QUALITY
ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY
INSTITUTIONAL FACTORS
MANAGEMENT
MINING
NATIONAL ORGANIZATIONS
SOLID WASTES
US ORGANIZATIONS
WASTE MANAGEMENT
WASTES
010900* - Coal
Lignite
& Peat- Environmental Aspects
012000 - Coal
Lignite
& Peat- Mining
510500 - Environment
Terrestrial- Site Resource & Use Studies- (-1989)
294001 - Energy Planning & Policy- Coal