Accommodating the Land Use Planning Provisions of the Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act

Approval of surface coal mine permits in the US became more complex with the imposition of certain additional and relatively untested requirements of the Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act of 1977 (Public Law 95-87). Because of delays built into the schedule for applying this law, the American mining system has not yet seen the full extent of these complexities. Its reclamation and designation sections require recognition of local land use plans. Accommodation to these requirements affords an opportunity to create better links among local land use planners, the state\u27s permitting authority and designation office, and mine designers