Environmental Factors Affecting Surface Mining of Steeply Pitching Coal Seams. Volume I/Overview

摘要

With renewed demand for coal to supply today's energy needs, many coal mining operations are being developed that previously would have been deemed uneconomic. One of the most challenging areas of coal recovery is coal seams that pitch in excess of 25 degrees. Thus, the Bureau of Mines conducted in-depth analyses of the environmental, operational, and reclamation problems in terms of the resource potential associated with the surface mining of steeply pitching coal seams. This report presents the analyses of five surface mines located in three geologically distinct basins of the United States.