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Abstract

Prior to 1977, there was no federal law in the United States that regulated the surface mining aspect of the coal industry. Individual states were responsible for their own regulations and laws. After World War II, most states enacted more stringent post-mining reclamation requirements. By 1965, mine operators were expected to act on their own to restore the land that they mined. The Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act of 1977 (SMACRA) established permitting guidelines for existing as well as future mining activities. The purpose of SMCRA is to ensure that coal mining is conducted in an environmentally-responsible manner and that the land is progressively reclaimed during the mining process. In the late 1970s and early 1980s, coal-mining states developed their own programs consistent with SMCRA and were given the primary responsibility to regulate surface coal mining on lands with the federal Office of Surface Mining providing jurisdiction. This paper presents a photographic history of coal mine reclamation as it was practiced from the 1940s to the present day and suggests that through observation of past mine reclamation practices we can develop strategies for future land rehabilitation.