Costs of coal surface mining and reclamation in Appalachia

Technical Report · Thu Jan 01 04:00:00 EST 1976

OSTI ID:7367092

Nephew, E A; Spore, R L

Coal surface mining and reclamation costs in Appalachia are estimated as a function of reclamation quality, the angle of natural terrain, and the overburden-to-coal stripping ratio. When mining to a maximum stripping ratio of 20, the cost of providing minimally acceptable, or basic, reclamation is estimated to be $0.49, $0.95, and $1.50/ton of coal mined, for 15/sup 0/, 20/sup 0/, and 25/sup 0/ terrain, respectively. The cost of providing full reclamation under the same conditions is estimated to be $1.59, $3.27, and $5.51/ton of coal mined. The cost of reclamation is also found to increase with the stripping ratio. When mining to a maximum stripping ratio of 30, the cost of providing basic reclamation is estimated to be $0.65, $1.25, and $1.98/ton of coal mined, for 15/sup 0/, 20/sup 0/, and 25/sup 0/ terrain, respectively. The cost of providing full reclamation under the same conditions is estimated to be $2.09, $4.13, and $7.26/ton of coal mined. Hence, independent of the stripping ratio, the cost of basic reclamation on 25/sup 0/ terrain is roughly the same as full reclamation on 15/sup 0/ terrain. An empirical formula is presented for predicting coal production and reclamation costs for other conditions of terrain angle, stripping ratio, and levels of reclamation quality. This study was performed to provide quantitative information to policymakers involved in the process of choosing among alternative regulatory programs.The mining and reclamation costs developed do not take into account possible limitations in available coal reserves. (auth)

• Research Organization: Oak Ridge National Lab., Tenn. (USA)
• DOE Contract Number: W-7405-ENG-26
• OSTI ID: 7367092
• Report Number(s): ORNL-NSF-EP-86
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

01 COAL, LIGNITE, AND PEAT
012000 -- Coal
Lignite
& Peat-- Mining
29 ENERGY PLANNING, POLICY, AND ECONOMY
294001* -- Energy Planning & Policy-- Coal
APPALACHIA
COAL MINING
COAL RESERVES
COST
ENVIRONMENTAL EFFECTS
LAND RECLAMATION
MINING
NORTH AMERICA
RESERVES
RESOURCES
SURFACE MINING
USA