Surface coal mining operations in two Oklahoma Counties raise questions about prime farmland reclamation and bond adequacy

Technical Report · Thu Aug 08 04:00:00 EDT 1985

OSTI ID:6168026

The Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act of 1977 allows prime farmland to be mined but requires the coal operator to reclaim it according to special reclamation standards. To be considered prime farmland, the soil must meet the Secretary of Agriculture's definition of prime soil and have historically been used for intensive agricultural purposes. In Oklahoma, the historical-use provision has generally been applied to lands that have been used for cropland for 5 of the preceding 10 years. GAO's review of mining activities in two Oklahoma counties showed that the land comprising 54 of the 58 mine permits issued since the act's passage contained some prime soil. None, however, required reclamation to prime farmland standards because landowners signed letters stating that the land had not been farmed for crops for five of the preceding 10 years. GAO also found that numerous sites in the two counties were abandoned by mining companies after the act was passed. Since abandonment, no reclamation has occurred on most of these sites. The Department of the Interior's Office of Surface Mining questions whether the bonds on the unreclaimed sites, if collected, will be adequate to do the necessary reclamation. Oklahoma's Department of Mines has taken action to increase bond amounts on newly-issued permits and on some older permitted areas in order to prevent future reclamation problems.

• Research Organization: General Accounting Office, Washington, DC (USA). Resources, Community and Economic Development Div.
• OSTI ID: 6168026
• Report Number(s): GAO/RCED-85-147; ON: TI86900591
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

01 COAL, LIGNITE, AND PEAT
010900 -- Coal
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017000* -- Coal
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29 ENERGY PLANNING, POLICY, AND ECONOMY
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ABANDONED SITES
COAL MINING
FEDERAL REGION VI
LAND RECLAMATION
LEGAL ASPECTS
MINING
NORTH AMERICA
OKLAHOMA
REGULATIONS
STANDARDS
SURFACE MINING
USA