the interior enforces surface mining control and reclamation act.
the interior enforces surface mining control and reclamation act.
who enforces surface mining control and reclamation act?
the interior
bullet::::- inspection and enforcement. smcra gives government regulators the authority to inspect mining operations, and to punish companies that violate smcra or an equivalent state statute. inspectors can issue "notices of violation," which require operators to correct problems within a certain amount of time; levy fines; or order that mining cease.









































bullet::::- land restrictions. smcra prohibits surface mining altogether on certain lands, such as in national parks and wilderness areas. it also allows citizens to challenge proposed surface mining operations on the ground that they will cause too much environmental harm.









































section::::passage.:reclamation program.
surface mining control and reclamation act of 1977
surface mining control and reclamation act of 1977









































the surface mining control and reclamation act of 1977 (smcra) is the primary federal law that regulates the environmental effects of coal mining in the united states.









































smcra created two programs: one for regulating active coal mines and a second for reclaiming abandoned mine lands. smcra also created the office of surface mining, an agency within the department of the interior, to promulgate regulations, to fund state regulatory and reclamation efforts, and to ensure consistency among state regulatory programs.









































section::::passage.
surface mining control and reclamation act of 1977