Federal Land Management: Limited Action Taken to Reclaim Hardrock Mine Sites

摘要

The report responds to a February 10, 1987, request that the General Accounting Office (GAO) follow up on actions taken by the Department of the Interior's Bureau of Land Management (BLM) in response to a report entitled Public Lands: Interior Should Ensure Against Abuses From Hardrock Mining. The report identified problems concerning the manner in which BLM was carrying out its responsibilities under the Federal Land Policy and Management Act of 1976 (FLPMA). It further noted that despite legislative requirements for reclamation, some BLM lands that had been mined were not being reclaimed. GAO revisted 30 unreclaimed mine sites discussed in the previous report to determine (1) if the mine sites had been reclaimed, (2) what actions BLM has taken since the previous report to ensure that the sites were reclaimed, (3) BLM's explanations about sites that remain unreclaimed, and (4) the specific steps BLM intends to take to assure these sites' eventual reclamation. The present report details the findings.