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Office of Surface Mining (U.S. Department of the Interior) This landmark environmental law established national standards for the regulation and reclamation of surface and underground mines. An agency within the U.S. Department of the Interior, OSM works with states and Indian tribes to ensure that citizens and the environment are protected during coal mining and that the land is restored to beneficial use when mining is finished. Additionally, OSM is furthering the science of reclaiming mined lands and of protecting the environment through its work with other federal agencies, states, colleges and universities. www.peoplelandandwater.gov /osm   (419 words)

OFFICE OF SURFACE MINING HOME PAGE   (Site not responding. Last check: 2007-10-26) On August 3, 1977 the Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act (SMCRA) was signed into law to provide national environmental standards for the regulation and reclamation of surface and underground coal mines. Congress created the Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement (OSM) to develop a collaborative relationship between federal and state agencies to carry out the regulatory and AML programs in coal mining states and on Indian and Federal lands. The Abandoned Mine Land Program has eliminated safety and environmental hazards on 314,108 acres, including all three coal priority categories and non-coal problems in 27 States and on the lands of three Indian Tribes. www.osmre.gov   (327 words)

Washington DGER: Surface Mining Reclamation Program The original Mine Reclamation Act passed in 1971 and was amended in 1993 to assure that every mine in the state is thoroughly reclaimed. Mine operations, which are all mine-related activities except reclamation, are specifically regulated by local governments or state and federal agencies exclusive of DNR. The state surface mine reclamation permit issued by DNR to the permit holders applies to most of the surface mines in Washington. www.dnr.wa.gov /geology/smr.htm   (410 words)

Mining - MSN Encarta Mines may recover loose, unconsolidated material, such as the sediments in a stream bed, or they may be sunk in solid rock, harder than any concrete. Surface mining is the largest single sector of mining, being used for well over 60 per cent of all materials mined. An open pit mine is usually, but not always, for metals, a strip mine is more often than not for coal, a quarry is normally for the recovery of industrial and construction materials, while a placer mine is usually for heavy metals and minerals—frequently gold, but also platinum, tin, and other heavy minerals. uk.encarta.msn.com /encyclopedia_761575410/Mining.html   (1412 words)

Mining - MSN Encarta In large surface mines, huge power shovels and draglines are used to remove the earth and rock (overburden) from above the seam; modern shovels have bucket capacities of as much as 290 metric tons. Ventilation is important because of the presence in coal mines of dangerous gases such as methane and carbon dioxide. The stopes, on completion of mining, may be allowed to remain empty, if adequately supported, or may be filled with material, usually waste rock, brought down from the surface to support the exhausted stope and ensure safety of mining operations in adjacent stopes. encarta.msn.com /encyclopedia_761575410/Mining.html   (2487 words)

mining. The Columbia Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition. 2001-05 Strip mining (see coal mining), open-pit (or open-cut) mining, and quarrying are the most common mining methods that start from the earth’s surface and maintain exposure to the surface throughout the extraction period. A major factor in the decision to operate by underground mining rather than surface mining is the strip ratio, or the number of units of waste material in a surface mine that must be removed in order to extract one unit of ore. Once this ratio becomes large, surface mining is no longer attractive. The entry from the surface to an underground mine may be through an adit, or horizontal tunnel, a shaft (see shaft sinking), or vertical tunnel, or a declined shaft. www.bartleby.com /65/mi/mining.html   (1008 words)

GeoFacts No. 15, Coal Mining & Reclaimation Surface mining in Ohio was first reported in 1810 from a ravine located 1 mile west of Tallmadge in Summit County. However, surface mining remained minimal until 1914, when large amounts of coal were needed as fuel for World War I. By 1948, surface mining became the dominant method by which coal was produced in Ohio and remained the dominant method until 1995, when more coal was produced in Ohio by underground mining. The deepest shaft for mining coal in Ohio is the now-abandoned Jensie mine in Jefferson County at a depth of 480 feet. www.dnr.state.oh.us /geosurvey/geo_fact/geo_f15.htm   (2220 words)

NationMaster - Encyclopedia: Coal mining Coal mining is the extraction of coal from the earth for use as fuel. Highwall mining is a form of coal mining in which a continuous miner is controlled remotely from outside the mine, and is guided along the seam straight back drilling holes in excess of 500 feet. Coal (previously referred to as pitcoal or seacoal) is a fossil fuel extracted from the ground by underground mining or open-pit mining (surface mining). www.nationmaster.com /encyclopedia/Coal-mining   (449 words)

Mining In the majority of underground mines, a number of tunnels down to the oil shale deposit are made (often at an angle) large enough to allow large mining equipment to travel through them down to the deposits. The environment and surface vegetation are for the most part left intact, with destruction coming mainly from the drilling of tunnels and the system of transport designed to carry mined shale to a processing center. First, the impact of drilling and mining upon the environment must be minimized, as many oil shale reserves lie in national parks or other environmentally delicate areas, where negative impacts on the environment are not allowed both by conscience and law. www.msu.edu /~owensma1/cemmine.htm   (1854 words)

Coal Energy Surface mining is used to produce most of the coal in the U.S. because it is less expensive than underground mining. Surface mining can be used when the coal is buried less than 200 feet underground. Once the mining is finished, the dirt and rock are returned to the pit, the topsoil is replaced, and the area is replanted. www.eia.doe.gov /kids/energyfacts/sources/non-renewable/coal.html   (1746 words)

Dräger Safety >> Surface Mining Operations Mining on the surface can be just as hazardous as mining underground. Even though mining is performed on the surface, there still exists the risk of exposure in confined spaces, such as the plant rooms... In surface mining, dust is a major occupational health risk. www.draeger.com /ST/internet/MH/en/Industries/Mining/Mining/SurfaceOp/surface_mining_operations.jsp   (215 words)

SURFACE COAL MINING AND Surface coal mine operators have a legal obligation to protect water supplies near their mines. Under the law, mine operators are presumed responsible for affecting water supplies within 1,000 feet of their mining operation, unless (1) they can prove that they were not responsible, or (2) the property owner denied access to collect the required pre-mining information. If mine operators or their consultants damage your water supply system during data collection or testing, they are responsible for the damages. www.dep.state.pa.us /dep/deputate/minres/FactSheets/WaterSupRep.htm   (1528 words)

Mining In the case of longwall mining of coal, self-advancing roof supports, made of hydraulic jacks and metal plates, are moved ahead, allowing the ceiling in the mined area to cave in as the miners work back towards the tunnel entrance. In surface mining, the layers of topsoil, or overburden, that were removed in order to reach the mineral are used to fill in the mine and reshape the land. Workers in underground mines spend time traveling from the mine entrance to their working areas, so that their paid workday is slightly longer than that of surface mine workers, 8 hours versus 7 1/4-hour shifts. www.bls.gov /oco/cg/cgs004.htm   (4811 words)

Surface Mines Surface Mining Law and Reclamation by Landfilling” examines the history, the law, and the practice in the Office of Surface Mining is charged with balancing the nation’s need for continued domestic coal production with the protection of the environment. An oil sands mine has never been closed before; therefore there is no telling how difficult it will be to reclaim tailings ponds and other mine byproducts, and restore the boreal forests and abundant wildlife of the past. technology.infomine.com /SurfaceMines   (2260 words)

Methods of Mining. University of Kentucky According to the Kentucky Department of Mines and Minerals, 131.8 million tons of coal was mined in Kentucky in 2000; 62 percent (81 million tons) was from underground mines and 38 percent (50 million tons) was from surface mines. In room and pillar mining, the most common type of underground coal mining, coal seams are mined by a "continuous miner" that cuts a network of "rooms" into the seam. Contour mines are surface mines that mine coal in steep, hilly, or mountainous terrain. www.uky.edu /KGS/coal/coal_mining.htm   (716 words)

Pennsylvania Coal Mining: Types of Coal Mining   (Site not responding. Last check: 2007-10-26) This is a drastic reconstruction of the Earth’s surface. In this case, the coal mine is accessed by digging straight in to the side of a hill or mountain.5 The mine is entered on the same level as the coal seam. A shaft mine consists of one or more deep mine shafts that are vertical and extend from the surface, down to the coal seam.6 These shafts are the only means of sending miners and equipment down and bringing coal to the surface. www.personal.psu.edu /students/j/c/jcd5031/types_of_mining.html   (1643 words)

RESEARCH AND TECHNOLOGY (c) Together with such reclamation fee, all operators of coal mine operations shall submit a statement of the amount of coal produced during the calendar quarter, the method of coal removal and the type of coal, the accuracy of which shall be sworn to by the operator and notarized. Such statement shall include an identification of the permittee of the surface coal mining operation, any operator in addition to the permittee, the owner of the coal, the preparation plant, tipple, or loading point for the coal, and the person purchasing the coal from the operator. Surface coal mining operations on lands eligible for remining shall not affect the eligibility of such lands for reclamation and restoration under this title after the release of the bond or deposit for any such operation as provided under section 519. www.osmre.gov /smcra.htm   (8546 words)

Mining   (Site not responding. Last check: 2007-10-26) For example, when we visited the coal mine, we were told that there is lots of coal left in the mine. There are two kinds of mining: surface mining and underground mining. Mining companies decide which one to use when they figure out where the mineral is. This means that if the mineral is only a few feet underground, they will use surface mining. library.thinkquest.org /05aug/00461/mining.htm   (451 words)

The Oil Drum | Surface Mining of coal   (Site not responding. Last check: 2007-10-26) Of all aspects of mining this is, perhaps, the most controversial, in part because of the large surface disruption that often occurs during the time that it is happening. Depending on the final size of the mine, the soils are then stored until needed, or carried to the part of the mine that has already been worked and, as a final step in restoring the land contour, the soil will be replaced and the appropriate ground cover planted. If the mine so chooses it may angle the holes that were drilled so that as this gas penetrates under pressure, it will also throw the rock some distance towards the area of the mine that has previously been worked. www.theoildrum.com /story/2006/1/29/15118/5245   (3368 words)

Idaho Mining Association : mining in Idaho This website was designed to introduce you to the Idaho Mining Association, and provide links to give you information about the mining industry both in and outside Idaho. Unfortunately, we don't have information on historical mining companies and suggest that you contact the Secretary of State, State of Idaho, Corporations Division at secstate@idsos.state.id.us or call 208-334-2300. Because of the mining industry's constantly changing technology and issues, this website will always be under construction. www.idahomining.org /home.html   (201 words)

SURFACE MINING CONTROL AND RECLAMATION ACT: Summary from Federal Wildlife Laws Handbook The Act requires all coal mine operators to pay to the Secretary a quarterly reclamation fee and submit a statement of the amount of coal produced during the quarter, the method of coal removal, and the type of coal. Lands and water eligible for reclamation or drainage abatement expenditures are those that were mined for coal or affected by mining, wastebanks, coal processing or other coal mining processes, and abandoned or left in an inadequate reclamation status prior to enactment of the Act. To encourage advances in mining and reclamation practices or to allow post-mining land use for industrial, commercial, residential or public use, the regulatory authority, with approval by the Secretary, may authorize individual departures on an experimental basis from the environmental protection performance standards promulgated under the Act. ipl.unm.edu /cwl/fedbook/smcra.html   (1456 words)

Conserve the Sources Mining of minerals has damaged or destroyed ecosystems that were already fragile. For example, surface mining uses controlled explosions to remove layers of rocks and soil. In coal mines there may also be fires that are difficult to extinguish. www.edhelper.com /ReadingComprehension_37_82.html   (318 words)

DMR - Mineral Resources - Coal Mining In large mines, draglines remove the overburden while shovels are used to load the coal. In smaller mines, bulldozers and front-end loaders are often used to remove overburden. In retreat mining, the workers mine as much coal as possible from the remaining pillars until the roof falls in. www.mme.state.va.us /dmr/DOCS/MinRes/COAL/coalmining.html   (625 words)

1997 Economic Census - Mining - Industry Series Mining is defined as the extraction of naturally occurring mineral solids, such as coal and ores; liquid minerals, such as petroleum; and gases, such as natural gas. The term mining is used in the broad sense to include quarrying, well operations, beneficiating (e.g., crushing, screening, washing, and floatation), and other preparations customarily performed at the mine site or as part of the mining activities. Bituminous Coal and Lignite Surface Mining - 10/14/99 www.census.gov /prod/www/abs/97ecmini.html   (259 words)

surface mining/8f This Rule provides the requirements for the mining operations and reclamation plan portions of applications for permits for surface mining activities except to the extent that different requirements for those plans are established under Rule 880-X-8J. For surface mining activities within the proposed permit area to be conducted within 500 feet of an underground mine, the application shall describe the measures to be used to comply with Rule 880-X-10C-.37. Each applicant for a surface coal mining and reclamation permit shall submit plans and drawings for each road, as defined in 880-X-2A-.06 of these regulations, to be constructed, used, or maintained within the proposed permit area. www.alabamaadministrativecode.state.al.us /docs/smin/8FSMIN.htm   (4860 words)

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