Surface Coal Mining in Alaska: An Investigation of the Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act of 1977 in Relation to Alaskan Conditions

摘要

This report was written in response to a mandate in section 708 of the Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act of 1977 which required the study of surface coal mining conditions in the State of Alaska, in order to determine which, if any, of the provisions of the Act should be modified with respect to surface coal mining operations in Alaska. The report discusses both surface mining and the surface effects of underground mining. The report examines not only the impact of mining at the site of operations but also the effects that extend beyond the mine itself, including effects on social institutions, the economy, the physical well-being of people, and the use of land. The report considers Alaska conditions primarily from the perspective of a potential increase in coal development, not of mining limited to meeting local needs of energy.