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Custodial transfer of reclaimed mines : barriers and opportunities

British Columbia Mine Reclamation Symposium; University of British Columbia. Norman B. Keevil Institute of Mining Engineering

Mines aim to be temporary users of the land. Environmental impact statements and permit applications typically indicate most or all of the disturbed land will be reclaimed in a timely manner to the satisfaction of the regulator, then returned to the state or another land owner. The land is to be safe and useful for local communities. Accordingly, the ultimate reclamation goal for most sites is to discharge their liabilities and relinquish the land, fulfilling their commitment to society. For a variety of reasons, such land relinquishment is extremely rare. More often the land remains unreclaimed or partially reclaimed and under the control of the mine owner. Furthermore, the mines and their shareholders maintain the liability for their sites and require cash flows from their operating mines to support the closed ones. Commonly, mines are simply abandoned to the state by the bankrupt owner. There is seldom adequate bonding to cover reclamation and maintenance costs and taxpayers assume the liability and control of the property. Plans for post-mining land uses are seldom fulfilled. There is an important opportunity for innovation to allow all stakeholders (mining companies, regulators, local communities) to work collaboratively to make orderly custodial transfer a reality. This paper highlights shortcomings in present approaches, presents an ideal, then discusses barriers, opportunities, and indicates “bright lights” where barriers have been overcome.

Conference Paper

eng

Vancouver : University of British Columbia Library

10.14288/1.0354680

Non UBC

Other

DSpace