Skip to main content
U.S. Department of Energy
Office of Scientific and Technical Information

State implementation of the Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act of 1977

Journal Article · · Policy Studies Review; (USA)

The implementation of the Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act (SMCRA) of 1977 in coal producing states is guided by a partial preemption policy approach that establishes a balance between federal and state decision-making authority. The usefulness of this approach is assessed by analyzing state enforcement actions in relation the institutional capacity of states to shoulder regulatory responsibilities and the propensity of the federal Office of Surface Mining (OSM) to oversee state enforcement actions and, if necessary, to undertake corrective action. The authors results indicated that state administration of SMCRA was constrained by the lack of effective federal oversight but was largely unaffected by interstate differences in political, economic, or administrative characteristics.

OSTI ID:
6985744
Journal Information:
Policy Studies Review; (USA), Journal Name: Policy Studies Review; (USA) Vol. 9:1; ISSN 0278-4416; ISSN PSRWD
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English