Mined land reclamation in Wisconsin since 1973

Thesis/Dissertation · Sun Jan 01 04:00:00 EST 1989

OSTI ID:5673324

Hunt, T C

Reclamation has long been recognized as an essential action necessary to mitigate the degradation of land caused by mining activities. But, it is only within the past several decades that reclamation has become an integral component of the mineral extraction process. While the Metallic Mining Reclamation Act (MMRA) was passed in 1973, Wisconsin is yet to enact comprehensive state-wide reclamation requirements for mining other than metallic minerals and the code for metallic mining has yet to establish procedures and standards for reclamation success, specifically revegetation and postmining land use. This study integrates several interdisciplinary methodologies including a history of reclamation; an inventory and status report of mined lands; a critique and comparison of existing reclamation policy with previous state and current federal reclamation policies; in-field case studies of revegetation parameters, procedures, and performance standards; and an economic analysis of reclamation technology. This study makes three major recommendations: (1) The metallic mining code should be amended to establish vegetation parameters, measuring methods, and performance standards for revegetation success similar to those contained in the federal Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act (SMCRA); (2) The metallic mining code should be amended to resolve semantic loopholes by clearly defining the endpoints of terms such as restoration, reclamation, and rehabilitation and by utilizing the reclamation continuum as a planning tool for determining acceptable postmining land use alternatives; and (3) Mandatory statewide nonmetallic legislation should be enacted to strengthen the mineral resource management program in Wisconsin by systematically and uniformly regulating the mining and reclamation of nonmetallic minerals, the state's most important mineral resource.

• Research Organization: Wisconsin Univ., Madison, WI (United States)
• OSTI ID: 5673324
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

29 ENERGY PLANNING, POLICY, AND ECONOMY
290300 -- Energy Planning & Policy-- Environment
Health
& Safety
54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES
540250* -- Environment
Terrestrial-- Site Resource & Use Studies-- (1990-)
DEVELOPED COUNTRIES
ELEMENTS
FEDERAL REGION V
GOVERNMENT POLICIES
LAND RECLAMATION
LAND USE
METALS
MINING
NORTH AMERICA
RECOMMENDATIONS
USA
WISCONSIN