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Hardrock Mining on Federal Lands

Hardrock Mining on Federal Lands

  • Publisher: National Academies Press
  • ISBN: 9780309065962
  • eISBN Pdf: 9780309562102
  • eISBN Epub: 9780309172660
  • Place of publication:  United States
  • Year of digital publication: 1999
  • Month: November
  • Pages: 260
  • Language: English

This book, the result of a congressionally mandated study, examines the adequacy of the regulatory framework for mining of hardrock minerals—such as gold, silver, copper, and uranium—on over 350 million acres of federal lands in the western United States. These lands are managed by two agencies—the Bureau of Land Management in the Department of the Interior, and the Forest Service in the Department of Agriculture.

The committee concludes that the complex network of state and federal laws that regulate hardrock mining on federal lands is generally effective in providing environmental protection, but improvements are needed in the way the laws are implemented and some regulatory gaps need to be addressed. The book makes specific recommendations for improvement, including:

  • The development of an enhanced information management system and a more efficient process to review new mining proposals and issue permits.
  • Changes to regulations that would require all mining operations, other than "casual use" activities that negligibly disturb the environment, to provide financial assurances for eventual site cleanup.
  • Changes to regulations that would require all mining and milling operations (other than casual use) to submit operating plans in advance.
  • HARDROCK MINING ON FEDERAL LANDS
  • Copyright
  • Contents
  • Executive Summary
    • HARDROCK MINING AND THE ENVIRONMENT
    • EXISTING REGULATORY FRAMEWORK
    • GENERAL CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS
    • IMPROVEMENTS IN IMPLEMENTATION
    • REGULATORY GAPS
    • RESEARCH NEEDS
    • CONCLUDING PERSPECTIVES
  • 1 Introduction
    • POLICY CONTEXT
    • APPROACH TO THE STUDY
    • FEDERAL LANDS AND HARDROCK MINING
    • HARDROCK MINING
      • Exploration
      • Mine Development
      • Mining (Extraction)
      • Mineral Processing (Beneficiation)
      • Reclamation
    • POTENTIAL ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACTS OF HARDROCK MINING
      • Potential Impacts on Water Quality
      • Potential Impacts on Aquatic Ecosystems
      • Potential Impacts on Water Quantity
      • Potential Impacts on the Landscape and Terrestrial Ecosystems
      • Other Potential Environmental Impacts
      • Cumulative Effects
      • Long-Term Monitoring
    • CHANGING CONTEXTS
      • Changes in Technology
      • Changing Market Conditions
      • Changes in the Regulatory Environment
      • Socio-economic Changes
    • ORGANIZATION OF THE REPORT
  • 2 Existing Regulatory Framework
    • STATUTORY POLICIES FOR MANAGEMENT
    • ENVIRONMENTAL REGULATION
      • Federal Land Management Agency Responsibilities
      • Environmental Permitting Requirements
    • RELATIONSHIPS AMONG STATE AND FEDERAL ENVIRONMENTAL REGULATIONS
    • TIME REQUIREMENTS FOR ENVIRONMENTAL REVIEW AND PERMITTING
  • 3 Adequacy of Environmental Protection
    • ELEMENTS OF A REGULATORY PROGRAM
      • Information
      • Models and Tools
      • Standards and Criteria
      • Monitoring
      • Reporting and Analysis
      • Corrective Actions
      • Enforcement
      • Financial Guarantees
      • Personnel and Resources
      • Management Information System
      • Stakeholder Communications
    • REGULATORY ISSUES
      • Role Conflicts in Land Management Agencies
      • Regulatory Standards
      • Financial Assurance
      • Modification of Plans of Operations
      • Different Regulatory Approaches for Exploration, Mining, Extraction, and Mineral Processing
      • Protecting Valuable Resources and Sensitive Areas
      • Protecting Cultural Resources and Tribal Interests
      • Issues of Small Mining Operations
      • Mining Reclamation of Abandoned Mine Sites
      • Temporary Mine Closures
    • REGULATORY IMPLEMENTATION ISSUES
      • Adequacy of Staff and Other Resources
      • Agency Data and Information Systems
      • Enforcement Authority
    • SCIENTIFIC ISSUES
      • Water
      • Baselines and Backgrounds
    • THE NEED FOR EARLY STAKEHOLDER CONSULTATION
    • RECLAMATION, CLOSURE, AND POST-CLOSURE MANAGEMENT
      • Backfilling
      • Reclamation Planning for Possible Future Uses
      • Post-Closure Issues
    • REGULATORY EFFICIENCY ISSUES
    • PUBLIC INVOLVEMENT ISSUES
    • SUMMARY
  • 4 Conclusions and Recommendations
    • CONCLUSIONS
    • RECOMMENDATIONS
      • Justification
        • Discussion
        • Implementation
        • Justification
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        • Discussion
        • Implementation
    • SUMMARY
  • References
  • APPENDIXES
  • Appendix A The Nature of Mining
    • DESCRIPTION OF ORE DEPOSITS
    • THE MINING PROCESS
      • Exploration
      • Mine Development
      • Mining (Extraction)
      • Mineral Processing (Beneficiation)
      • Reclamation
    • THE URANIUM INDUSTRY
  • Appendix B Potential Environmental Impacts of Hardrock Mining
    • INTRODUCTION
    • CUMULATIVE EFFECTS
    • LONG-TERM MONITORING
    • WATER QUALITY
      • Metals and Cyanide
      • Acid Drainage
      • Pit Lakes
      • Surplus Water Discharge
      • Road Construction
      • Contamination from Railroads
    • WATER QUANTITY
      • Minewater Discharge to Streams
      • Groundwater Withdrawal
      • Pit Lake Interception of Groundwater
      • Runoff from Hardened Surfaces
    • AQUATIC BIOTA
      • Aquatic Biota Response to Metals and Cyanide
      • Aquatic Biota Response to Acid Drainage
      • Impact of Placer Mining and Suction Dredging on Aquatic Biota
    • LANDSCAPE OR ECOSYSTEM ALTERATIONS
    • TERRESTRIAL VEGETATION
      • General Disturbances
      • Smelter Emissions Fumigation
      • Metal Toxicity
      • Exotic Plant Species
    • RIPARIAN VEGETATION
      • Valley Fill
      • Altered Hydrology
      • Water Contaminants
    • WETLANDS: HYDROLOGICAL AND SURFACE CHANGES
    • SOIL
      • Surface Alterations
      • Erosion
      • Air Deposition
    • TERRESTRIAL WILDLIFE
      • Disruptive Activities
      • Consumption of Toxic Plants and Animals
      • Wildlife Enhancement
    • AIR QUALITY
      • Smelter Emissions
      • Fugitive Dust
    • NOISE
  • Appendix C Existing Regulatory Requirements
  • Appendix D Research Needs
    • WATER QUALITY
      • Pit Lake Water Quality
      • Acid Drainage and Leaching of Mine Materials
        • Acid Drainage
        • Leaching of Mine Materials
    • HYDROLOGY
      • Pit Lake Water Quantity
      • Mine Area Dewatering and Discharge of Surplus Water
      • Modeling Flow in Mine Dumps and Impoundments
    • ECOLOGY
    • CUMULATIVE IMPACTS
    • ALTERNATIVE MINING AND POLLUTION PREVENTION METHODS
      • Alternative Mining Techniques
      • Pollution Prevention and Treatment
    • MINING TECHNOLOGIES FOR THE FUTURE
      • Exploration
      • Mining
      • Mineral Processing
    • SUMMARY
  • Appendix E Financial Assurance
    • ACTIVITIES AND EVENTS COVERED
    • AMOUNT OF FINANCIAL ASSURANCE
    • TYPES OF FINANCIAL ASSURANCE
    • CONDITIONS FOR RELEASE
  • Appendix F Presentations to the Committee
    • SPEAKERS AT COMMITTEE MEETINGS
    • SPEAKERS AT PUBLIC PARTICIPATION FORA
  • Appendix G Individuals Who Provided Documents to the Committee
  • Appendix H Biographical Sketches of Committee Members
    • NRC STAFF
  • Acronyms
  • Glossary

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