Strip mining and the three E's. [Energy, environment, economy]
Based on the fragmentary data now in hand, and applying that data in the decision-making framework sketched in the report, it seems likely that reclamation of the type called for in S.425 or in H.R. 3 will meet the necessary condition that the benefits of such abatement exceed the cost. At something like the present scale of mining activity and for the typical strip mining operation in southern Appalachia, this may mean a cost increase which would shift the supply curve upward by approximately $2.00 to $3.00. Given relatively inelastic demands, particularly in view of the shortages of other energy sources, the price is likely to increase by approximately that amount. As a result, the social costs previously borne primarily by the residents of the mining areas will be passed on to the users (and thus beneficiaries of the use) of coal--the electric utilities, for the most part, and ultimately the consumer of electricity. This, in turn, may lead the consumer to consider more carefully the pattern of use of energy which, if not priced at full costs in the past, may have been ''wasteful.'' By internalizing costs of surface mining now we will encourage a gradual shift toward use of deep mined coal--a necessity as a long-run solution, since only some two percent of total Appalachian bituminous coal reserves are strippable. Just as the passage of the 1969 Coal Mine Health and Safety Act accelerated the shift from deep to surface mining, so now would a strong reclamation law tend to shift the advantage in the direction of deep mining. The transition from surface to deep mining cannot be accomplished overnight, however. Expansion of deep mining will take many years and require a significant commitment to investment in production and health and safety equipment.
- Research Organization:
- Tennessee Univ., Knoxville (USA). Appalachian Resources Project
- OSTI ID:
- 5327046
- Report Number(s):
- ARP-19
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES
SURFACE MINING
COST BENEFIT ANALYSIS
LAND RECLAMATION
APPALACHIA
COAL MINING
ECONOMICS
ENVIRONMENTAL EFFECTS
UNDERGROUND MINING
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