The coal mining and its influence on the environment from the legal point of view

ENGLISH SUMMARY Coal mining is an important activity which significantly contributes to the economy of the Czech Republic. Coal is currently still indispensable material for many industrial branches, but coal mining has serious and wide-ranging consequences for the environment. Coal mining influences negatively especially the appearance of landscape, the soil conditions and the water system in the affected area. It causes air pollution and it leads to the destruction of fauna and flora, too. Furthermore the problem is that coal is a non-renewable material, which will eventually be exhausted. Due to these negative impacts on environment and the importance of coal as the source of energy, the coal mining requires state regulation. Legislation regulation of mining activity in our country can be found in these three acts: The Mining Act No. 44/1988 Coll., The Act of Mining Activity No. 61/1988 Coll. and The Act of Geological Works No. 62/1988 Coll. These three acts are supplemented with number of subsidiary regulations. This thesis attempts to describe and analyze basic legal instruments of environmental protection, which are exercised in mining. The main sources for this thesis are the three above-mentioned Acts and Acts regulating particular elements of environment for example the Water Code, the Forest Code..