| The precedent for successful farming on surface-mined land
was well established long before Congress mandated reclamation. In Indiana,
Illinois, Pennsylvania, and Ohio, several extensive spreads of grain, row crops,
and livestock are operating on land that once was a home to draglines, the huge
machines used to remove soil at surface coal mines. The success of these
operations was the result of careful tilling, planting, fertilizing, and
irrigating. The same practices apply to today’s operations, coupled with the
more specific requirements of the federal law. If farmland is to be mined, the
coal company must prove that the productivity of the land will be restored. |
Arch Mineral Corp.’s 9,000-acre farm and agricultural lab at
active mine site includes livestock. |
When prime farmland is mined, the law requires that all
topsoil and the first layer of subsoil be replaced once mining is
completed. When mining begins, the topsoil is removed with mechanical
shovels and stockpiled for future use. Then the remaining overburden
(the dirt and rock above the coal seam) is removed and stored in another
place. Once the coal has been removed from its seam and hauled away, the
intermediary layer of overburden is returned to the pit and is graded to
approximate the land’s pre-mining contour. The topsoil is replaced
last, providing the growing medium for the vegetation that will then be
planted. Because water is a major concern in areas to be reclaimed,
applicants for mining permits must include detailed hydrological data
collected over a one-year period showing that the quantity and quality
of surface and subsurface waters will not be permanently affected in an
adverse manner. |
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Arch Mineral Corp. reclaimed land while mining continues just
beyond the field.
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Where coal is removed by underground rather than
surface mining, the law contains strict provisions regarding subsidence
(a lowering of the surface). In partial extraction mining, the law
requires that coal pillars be left in place to support the surface. In
full extraction mining, the operator is required to submit a detailed
subsidence control plan.
Farms on mined land have been shown to yield corn,
wheat, rye, and other crops in amounts equal to or greater than
neighboring non-mined farms.
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Many reclaimed coal mine sites have
been turned into successful agricultural areas. |
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