Abandoned Mines
Information on the Number of Hardrock Mines, Cost of Cleanup, and Value of Financial Assurances Gao ID: GAO-11-834T July 14, 2011In Process
GAO's past work has shown that there are no definitive estimates of the number of abandoned hardrock mines on federal and other lands. For example, in 2008 and 2009, GAO reported that BLM and the Forest Service had difficulty determining the number of abandoned hardrock mines on their lands and had no definitive estimates. Similarly, estimates of the number of abandoned hardrock mine sites in the 12 western states and Alaska (where most of the mining takes place) varied widely because there was no generally accepted definition of what constitutes an abandoned hardrock mine site. In 2008, GAO developed a standard definition for abandoned hardrock mining sites and used this definition to determine that there were at least 161,000 abandoned hardrock mine sites in the 12 western states and Alaska, and at least 33,000 of these sites had degraded the environment, by contaminating surface water and groundwater or leaving arsenic-contaminated tailings piles. In 2008, GAO reported that BLM, the Forest Service, and the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) either do not routinely collect or do not consistently maintain data on the amount of hardrock minerals being produced on federal land, the amount of hardrock minerals remaining, and the total acreage of federal land withdrawn from hardrock mining operations. According to BLM and Forest Service officials, they do not have the authority to collect information from mine operators on the amount of hardrock minerals produced on federal land or the amount remaining. In contrast, USGS collects extensive data on hardrock mineral production through its mineral industry surveys and reports these data in monthly, quarterly, and annual reports, but the agency does not collect land ownership data that would allow it to determine the amount of hardrock mineral production on federal land. As a result, comprehensive information on hardrock mineral production is generally not available to the public. From 1997 to 2008, four federal agencies--BLM, the Forest Service, EPA, and OSM--had spent at least a total of $2.6 billion to reclaim abandoned hardrock mines on federal, state, private, and Indian lands. Of this amount, EPA had spent the most--$2.2 billion. The amount each agency spent annually varied considerably, and the median amount spent for abandoned hardrock mines on public lands by BLM and the Forest Service was about $5 million and about $21 million, respectively. EPA spent substantially more--a median of about $221 million annually--to clean up abandoned mines that were generally on nonfederal land. OSM provided grants with an annual median value of about $18 million to states and Indian tribes through its program for hardrock mine cleanups. One factor that contributes to costs for reclamation of federal lands disturbed by mining operations is inadequate financial assurances required by BLM. Since 2005, GAO has reported several times that operators of hardrock mines on BLM lands have not provided financial assurances sufficient to cover estimated reclamation costs in the event that operators fail to perform the required reclamation. Most recently, in 2008, GAO reported that the financial assurances that were provided for 52 operations were about $61 million less than needed to fully cover estimated reclamation costs, which could leave the taxpayer with the bill for reclamation, if the operator fails to do so.
GAO-11-834T, Abandoned Mines: Information on the Number of Hardrock Mines, Cost of Cleanup, and Value of Financial Assurances
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United States Government Accountability Office:
GAO:
Testimony:
Before the Subcommittee on Energy and Mineral Resources, Committee on
Natural Resources, House of Representatives:
For Release on Delivery:
Expected at 2:00 p.m. EST:
Thursday, July 14, 2011:
Abandoned Mines:
Information on the Number of Hardrock Mines, Cost of Cleanup, and
Value of Financial Assurances:
Statement of Anu K. Mittal, Director:
Natural Resources and Environment Team:
GAO-11-834T:
GAO Highlights:
Highlights of GAO-11-834T, a testimony before the Subcommittee on
Energy and Mineral Resources, Committee on Natural Resources, House of
Representatives.
Why GAO Did This Study:
The General Mining Act of 1872 helped foster the development of the
West by giving individuals exclusive rights to mine gold, silver,
copper, and other hardrock minerals on federal land. However, miners
often abandoned mines, leaving behind structures, safety hazards, and
contaminated land and water. Four federal agencies”-the Department of
the Interior‘s Bureau of Land Management (BLM) and Office of Surface
Mining Reclamation and Enforcement (OSM), the Department of
Agriculture‘s Forest Service, and the Environmental Protection Agency
(EPA)-”fund the cleanup of some of these hardrock mine sites.
From 2005 through 2009, GAO issued a number of reports and testimonies
on various issues related to abandoned and current hardrock mining
operations. This testimony summarizes some of the key findings of
these reports and testimonies focusing on the (1) number of abandoned
hardrock mines, (2) availability of information collected by federal
agencies on general mining activities, (3) amount of funding spent by
federal agencies on cleanup of abandoned mines, and (4) value of
financial assurances for mining operations on federal land managed by
BLM. In 2005, GAO recommended that BLM strengthen the management of
its financial assurances, which BLM generally implemented. BLM also
agreed to take steps to address additional concerns raised by GAO in
2008.
What GAO Found:
GAO‘s past work has shown that there are no definitive estimates of
the number of abandoned hardrock mines on federal and other lands. For
example, in 2008 and 2009, GAO reported that BLM and the Forest
Service had difficulty determining the number of abandoned hardrock
mines on their lands and had no definitive estimates. Similarly,
estimates of the number of abandoned hardrock mine sites in the 12
western states and Alaska (where most of the mining takes place)
varied widely because there was no generally accepted definition of
what constitutes an abandoned hardrock mine site. In 2008, GAO
developed a standard definition for abandoned hardrock mining sites
and used this definition to determine that there were at least 161,000
abandoned hardrock mine sites in the 12 western states and Alaska, and
at least 33,000 of these sites had degraded the environment, by
contaminating surface water and groundwater or leaving arsenic-
contaminated tailings piles.
In 2008, GAO reported that BLM, the Forest Service, and the U.S.
Geological Survey (USGS) either do not routinely collect or do not
consistently maintain data on the amount of hardrock minerals being
produced on federal land, the amount of hardrock minerals remaining,
and the total acreage of federal land withdrawn from hardrock mining
operations. According to BLM and Forest Service officials, they do not
have the authority to collect information from mine operators on the
amount of hardrock minerals produced on federal land or the amount
remaining. In contrast, USGS collects extensive data on hardrock
mineral production through its mineral industry surveys and reports
these data in monthly, quarterly, and annual reports, but the agency
does not collect land ownership data that would allow it to determine
the amount of hardrock mineral production on federal land. As a
result, comprehensive information on hardrock mineral production is
generally not available to the public.
From 1997 to 2008, four federal agencies”-BLM, the Forest Service,
EPA, and OSM”-had spent at least a total of $2.6 billion to reclaim
abandoned hardrock mines on federal, state, private, and Indian lands.
Of this amount, EPA had spent the most-”$2.2 billion. The amount each
agency spent annually varied considerably, and the median amount spent
for abandoned hardrock mines on public lands by BLM and the Forest
Service was about $5 million and about $21 million, respectively. EPA
spent substantially more-”a median of about $221 million annually”-to
clean up abandoned mines that were generally on nonfederal land. OSM
provided grants with an annual median value of about $18 million to
states and Indian tribes through its program for hardrock mine
cleanups.
One factor that contributes to costs for reclamation of federal lands
disturbed by mining operations is inadequate financial assurances
required by BLM. Since 2005, GAO has reported several times that
operators of hardrock mines on BLM lands have not provided financial
assurances sufficient to cover estimated reclamation costs in the
event that operators fail to perform the required reclamation. Most
recently, in 2008, GAO reported that the financial assurances that
were provided for 52 operations were about $61 million less than
needed to fully cover estimated reclamation costs, which could leave
the taxpayer with the bill for reclamation, if the operator fails to
do so.
View [hyperlink, http://www.gao.gov/products/GAO-11-834T] or key
components. For more information, contact Anu Mittal at (202) 512-3841
or mittala@gao.gov.
[End of section]
Chairman Lamborn, Ranking Member Holt, and Members of the Subcommittee:
We are pleased to be here today to participate in this hearing on
abandoned mines. As you know, the General Mining Act of 1872
encouraged the development of the West by allowing individuals to
stake claims and obtain exclusive rights to the gold, silver, copper,
and other valuable hardrock mineral deposits on land belonging to the
United States. Since then, thousands of operators have extracted
billions of dollars worth of hardrock minerals from land managed by
the Department of the Interior's Bureau of Land Management (BLM) and
the Department of Agriculture's Forest Service--the two principal
agencies responsible for federal lands open for hardrock mining.
[Footnote 1] BLM issued regulations in 1981 requiring all operators of
these mines to reclaim the land when their operations cease, but some
did not and abandoned these mines. As a result, thousands of acres of
federal land that were disturbed for exploration, mining, and mineral
processing now pose serious environmental and physical safety hazards.
Environmental hazards include toxic or acidic water that contaminates
soil and groundwater and physical safety hazards include concealed
shafts, unstable or decayed mine structures, or explosives. Cleanup
costs for these abandoned mines vary by type and size of the
operation. For example, the cost of plugging holes is usually minimal,
but reclamation costs for large mining operations can be in the tens
of millions of dollars.
From 2005 through 2009, we issued several products on various issues
related to abandoned hardrock mines as well as current hardrock mining
operations on federal land that are relevant to the issue being
discussed at today's hearing.[Footnote 2] These products included
information on the number of abandoned hardrock mines, the
availability of information collected by the federal agencies on
mining operations on federal land, the amount of funding that federal
agencies have spent to cleanup abandoned mine sites, and the value of
financial assurances that federal agencies collect from operators to
cover the cost of reclamation in the event that an operator does not
reclaim the land. My testimony today will summarize the key findings
of these products. More information on our scope and methodology is
available in each published product.
The work presented in these products was conducted in accordance with
generally accepted government auditing standards. Those standards
require that we plan and perform the audit to obtain sufficient,
appropriate evidence to provide a reasonable basis for our findings
and conclusions based on our audit objectives. We believe that the
evidence obtained provided a reasonable basis for our findings and
conclusions based on our audit objectives.
Background:
Historically, the mining of hardrock minerals, such as gold, lead,
copper, silver, and uranium, was an economic incentive for exploring
and settling the American West. However, when the ore was depleted,
miners often left behind a legacy of abandoned mines, structures,
safety hazards, and contaminated land and water. Even in more recent
times, after cleanup became mandatory, many parties responsible for
hardrock mining sites have been liquidated through bankruptcy or
otherwise dissolved. Under these circumstances, some hardrock mining
companies have left it to the taxpayer to pay for cleanup of the
mining sites.
Four federal agencies--the Department of Agriculture's Forest Service,
the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), and the Department of the
Interior's BLM and Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and
Enforcement (OSM)--fund the cleanup and reclamation of some of these
abandoned hardrock mine sites. BLM's and the Forest Service's
Abandoned Mine Lands programs focus on the safety of their land by
addressing physical and environmental hazards. EPA's funding, under
its Superfund Program, among other things, focuses on the cleanup and
long-term health effects of air, ground, or water pollution caused by
abandoned hardrock mine sites, and is generally for mines on
nonfederal land. OSM, under amendments to the Surface Mining Control
and Reclamation Act of 1977, can provide grants to fund the cleanup
and reclamation of certain hardrock mining sites.[Footnote 3]
BLM and the Forest Service are responsible for managing more than 450
million acres of public land in their care, including land disturbed
and abandoned by past hardrock mining activities. BLM manages about
258 million acres in 12 western states, and Alaska.[Footnote 4] The
Forest Service manages about 193 million acres across the nation. In
1997, BLM and the Forest Service each launched a national Abandoned
Mine Lands Program to remedy the physical and environmental hazards at
thousands of abandoned hardrock mines on the federal land they manage.
According to a September 2007 report by these two agencies, they had
inventoried thousands of abandoned sites and, at many of them, had
taken actions to cleanup hazardous substances and mitigate safety
hazards.[Footnote 5] BLM and the Forest Service are also responsible
for managing and overseeing current hardrock operations on their land,
including the mining operators' reclamation of the land disturbed by
hardrock mining. Reclamation can vary by location, but it generally
involves such activities as regrading and reshaping the disturbed land
to conform with adjacent land forms and to minimize erosion, removing
or stabilizing buildings and other structures to reduce safety risks,
removing mining roads to prevent damage from future traffic, and
establishing self-sustaining vegetation. One of the agencies' key
responsibilities is to ensure that adequate financial assurances,
based on sound reclamation plans and cost estimates, are in place to
guarantee reclamation costs.[Footnote 6] If a mining operator fails to
complete required reclamation, BLM or the Forest Service can take
steps to obtain funds from the financial assurance provider to
complete the reclamation.
BLM requires financial assurances for both notice-level hardrock
mining operations--those disturbing 5 acres of land or less--and plan-
level hardrock mining operations--those disturbing over 5 acres of
land and those in certain designated areas, such as the national wild
and scenic rivers system. For hardrock operations on Forest Service
land, agency regulations require reclamation of sites after operations
cease. According to a Forest Service official, if the proposed
hardrock operation is likely to cause a significant disturbance, the
Forest Service requires financial assurances. Both agencies allow
several types of financial assurances to guarantee estimated
reclamation costs for hardrock operations on their land. According to
regulations and agency officials, BLM and the Forest Service allow
cash, letters of credit, certificates of deposit or savings accounts,
and negotiable U.S. securities and bonds in a trust account. BLM also
allows surety bonds, state bond pools, trust funds, and property.
EPA administers the Superfund Program, which was established under the
Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act
of 1980 to address the threats that contaminated waste sites,
including those on nonfederal land, pose to human health and the
environment.[Footnote 7] The act also requires that the parties
statutorily responsible for pollution bear the cost of cleaning up
contaminated sites, including abandoned hardrock mining operations.
Some contaminated hardrock mine sites have been listed on Superfund's
National Priorities List--EPA's list of seriously contaminated sites.
Typically, these sites are expensive to cleanup and the cleanup can
take many years. For example, in 2004, EPA's Office of Inspector
General determined there were 63 hardrock mining sites on the National
Priorities List that would cost up to $7.8 billion to cleanup, $2.4
billion of which was expected to be borne by taxpayers rather than the
parties responsible for the contamination.[Footnote 8]
Regarding financial assurances, EPA has statutory authority under the
Superfund program to require businesses handling hazardous substances
on nonfederal land to provide financial assurances and is taking steps
to do so.[Footnote 9] In 2006, we testified that without the mandated
financial assurances, significant gaps in EPA's environmental
financial assurance coverage exist, thereby increasing the risk that
taxpayers will eventually have to assume financial responsibility for
cleanup costs.[Footnote 10]
OSM's Abandoned Mine Land Program primarily focuses on cleaning up
abandoned coal mine sites. However, OSM, under amendments to the
Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act of 1977, can provide grants
to fund the cleanup and reclamation of certain hardrock mining sites
either (1) after a state certifies that it has cleaned up its
abandoned coal mine sites and the Secretary of the Interior approves
the certification or (2) at the request of a state or Indian tribe to
address problems that could endanger life and property, constitute a
hazard to the public and safety, or degrade the environment, and the
Secretary of the Interior grants the request. In 2008, we reported
that OSM had provided more than $3 billion to cleanup dangerous
abandoned mine sites.[Footnote 11] Its Abandoned Mine Land Program had
eliminated safety and environmental hazards on 314,108 acres since
1977, including all high-priority coal problems and noncoal problems
in 27 states and on the land of three Indian tribes.[Footnote 12]
Accurate Information on the Number of Abandoned Hardrock Mine Sites
Was Not Available:
In 2008 and 2009, we reported that BLM and the Forest Service have had
difficulty determining the number of abandoned hardrock mines on their
land and have no definitive estimates on the number of such sites.
[Footnote 13] Moreover, we reported that other estimates that had been
developed about the number of abandoned hardrock mine sites on
federal, state, and private land in the 12 western states and Alaska
(where most of the mining takes place) varied widely and did not
provide an accurate assessment of the number of abandoned mines in
these states. For example, federal agency estimates included abandoned
nonhardrock mines such as coal mines, and included a large number of
sites on land with "undetermined" ownership, which may not all be on
federal land. Similarly, we reviewed six studies conducted between
1998 and 2008 that estimated the number of abandoned hardrock mine
sites in the 12 western states and Alaska, regardless of the type of
land they were located on.[Footnote 14] However, we found that the
estimates in these studies varied widely in part because there was no
generally accepted definition for what constitutes an abandoned
hardrock mine site and because different states define these sites
differently.
In 2008, we developed a standard definition of an abandoned hardrock
mining site and used this definition to determine how many such sites
potentially existed on federal, state and private land in the12
western states and Alaska. Based on our survey of these states, we
determined that there were at least 161,000 abandoned hardrock mine
sites in these states, and at least 33,000 of these sites had degraded
the environment, by, for example, contaminating surface water and
groundwater or leaving arsenic-contaminated tailings piles. We also
determined that these 161,000 sites had at least 332,000 features that
may pose physical safety hazards, such as open shafts or unstable or
decayed mine structures.[Footnote 15]
Federal Agencies Collect Limited Information on Mining Operations on
Federal Land:
In 2008, we reported that BLM, the Forest Service, and the U.S.
Geological Survey (USGS) either do not routinely collect or do not
consistently maintain data on the amount of hardrock minerals being
produced on federal land, the amount of hardrock minerals remaining,
and the total acreage of federal land withdrawn from hardrock mining
operations.[Footnote 16] According to officials with BLM and the
Forest Service, they do not have the authority to collect information
from mine operators on the amount of hardrock minerals produced on
federal land, or the amount remaining. In April 2011, we reported on
this issue again and found that this information is not being
collected.[Footnote 17] In contrast, USGS collects extensive data on
hardrock mineral production through its mineral industry surveys and
reports these data in monthly, quarterly, and annual reports, but mine
operators' participation in these surveys is voluntary, and USGS does
not collect land ownership data that would allow it to determine the
amount of hardrock mineral production on federal land. As a result, we
found that it is not possible to determine hardrock mineral production
on federal land from the USGS data. In addition, although USGS does
publish the total amount of hardrock mineral production by mineral
type, it is prohibited by law from reporting individual mine
production and other company proprietary data unless the mine operator
authorizes release of that information. In some cases, mine operators
that respond to these surveys report consolidated data that covers
production from several mines. Therefore, information on hardrock
mineral production for every mine is not available to the public.
Some hardrock mineral production data are available from state sources
and through financial reports filed with the Securities and Exchange
Commission. However, these data may not always provide the level of
detail necessary to determine the amount of mineral production on
federal land. BLM also does not centrally maintain data on the amount
of federal land withdrawn from hardrock mining operations. BLM
documents land withdrawn from hardrock mining operations on its master
title plats--detailed paper maps maintained at BLM's state offices.
These maps contain land survey information on federal land, including
ownership information, land use descriptions, and land status
descriptions. BLM's annual publication, Public Land Statistics, does
report the total number of acres withdrawn each year, but these data
do not account for instances in which multiple withdrawals may have
overlapping boundaries, which can result in double-counting the number
of acres withdrawn. Furthermore, the reason for withdrawing the land
is not always indicated, making it difficult to determine whether it
was withdrawn from mining or from other purposes.
Federal Agencies Have Spent Billions of Dollars to Cleanup Abandoned
Hardrock Mining Sites:
In March 2008, we reported that over a 10 year period, four federal
agencies--BLM, the Forest Service, EPA, and OSM--had spent at least a
total of $2.6 billion to reclaim abandoned hardrock mines on federal,
state, private, and Indian land. Of this amount, EPA had spent the
most--$2.2 billion.[Footnote 18] The amount each agency spent annually
varied considerably, and the median amount spent for abandoned
hardrock mines on public land by BLM and the Forest Service was about
$5 million and about $21 million, respectively. EPA spent
substantially more--a median of about $221 million annually--to
cleanup abandoned mines that were generally on nonfederal land.
Further, OSM provided grants with an annual median value of about $18
million to states and Indian tribes through its program for hardrock
mine cleanups.[Footnote 19]
Financial Assurances Provided by Operators of Current Mines on BLM
Land May Be Inadequate to Cover Estimated Reclamation Costs:
As we have reported, contributing to the costs incurred by the federal
government to reclaim land disturbed by mining operations are
inadequate financial assurances required by BLM for current hardrock
mining operations. Since 2005, we have reported several times that
operators of hardrock mines on BLM land have provided inadequate
financial assurances to cover estimated reclamation costs in the event
that they fail to perform the required reclamation. Specifically, in
June 2005 we reported that some current hardrock operations on BLM
land did not have financial assurances, and some had no or outdated
reclamation plans and/or cost estimates on which the financial
assurances were based.[Footnote 20] At that time we concluded that BLM
did not have an effective process and critical management information
needed for ensuring that adequate financial assurances are actually in
place, as required by federal regulations and BLM guidance. We made
recommendations to strengthen BLM's management of financial assurances
for hardrock operations on its land, which the agency generally
implemented.
However, when we again looked at this issue in 2008, we found that
although BLM had taken actions to strengthen its processes, the
financial assurances that it had in place as of November 2007 were
still inadequate to cover estimated reclamation costs.[Footnote 21]
Specifically, as of November 2007, hardrock mining operators had
provided financial assurances valued at approximately $982 million to
guarantee the reclamation costs for 1,463 hardrock mining operations
on BLM land in 11 western states, according to BLM's Bond Review
Report. BLM's report indicated that 52 of the 1,463 hardrock mining
operations had inadequate financial assurances--about $28 million less
than needed to fully cover estimated reclamation costs. However, our
review of BLM's assessment process found that BLM had inaccurately
estimated the shortfall, and that in fact the financial assurances for
these 52 operations should be more accurately reported as about $61
million less than needed to fully cover estimated reclamation costs.
In addition, we found that BLM's approach for determining the adequacy
of financial assurances is not useful because it does not clearly lay
out the extent to which financial assurances are inadequate. For
example, in California, BLM reported that, statewide, the financial
assurances in place were $1.5 million greater than required,
suggesting reclamation costs are being more than fully covered.
However, according to our analysis of only those California operations
with inadequate financial assurances, the financial assurances in
place were nearly $440,000 less than needed to fully cover
reclamations costs for those operations. Having adequate financial
assurances to pay reclamation costs for BLM land disturbed by hardrock
operations is critical to ensuring that the land is reclaimed if
operators fail to complete reclamation as required. When operators
with inadequate financial assurances fail to reclaim BLM land
disturbed by their hardrock operations, BLM is left with public land
that requires tens of millions of dollars to reclaim and poses risks
to the environment and public health and safety.
In conclusion, Mr. Chairman, while it is critical to develop
innovative approaches to cleanup abandoned mines, our work also
demonstrates the importance of federal agency's having accurate
information on the number of abandoned hardrock mines to know the
extent of the problem and adequate financial assurances to prevent
future abandoned hardrock mines requiring taxpayer money to cleanup.
Chairman Lamborn, Ranking Member Holt, and Members of the
Subcommittee, this concludes my prepared statement. I would be happy
to respond to any questions that you might have.
Contact and Staff Acknowledgments:
Contact points for our Offices of Congressional Relations and Public
Affairs may be found on the last page of this testimony. For further
information about this testimony, please contact Anu K. Mittal,
Director, Natural Resources and Environment team, (202) 512-3841 or
mittala@gao.gov. Key contributors to this testimony were Andrea
Wamstad Brown and Casey L. Brown.
[End of section]
Footnotes:
[1] An operator is a person who conducts operations in connection with
exploration, mining, and processing hardrock minerals on federal land.
[2] GAO, Hardrock Mining: Information on Types of State Royalties,
Number of Abandoned Mines, and Financial Assurances on BLM Land,
[hyperlink, http://www.gao.gov/products/GAO-09-429T] (Washington,
D.C.: Feb. 26, 2009); GAO, Hardrock Mining: Information on State
Royalties and Trends in Mineral Import and Exports, [hyperlink,
http://www.gao.gov/products/GAO-08-849R] (Washington, D.C.: July 21,
2008); GAO, Hardrock Mining: Information on Abandoned Mines and Value
and Coverage of Financial Assurances on BLM Land, [hyperlink,
http://www.gao.gov/products/GAO-08-574T] (Washington, D.C.: Mar. 12,
2008); GAO, Environmental Liabilities: Hardrock Mining Cleanup
Obligations, [hyperlink, http://www.gao.gov/products/GAO-06-884T]
(Washington, D.C.: June 14, 2006); and GAO, Hardrock Mining: BLM Needs
to Better Manage Financial Assurances to Guarantee Coverage of
Reclamation Costs, [hyperlink, http://www.gao.gov/products/GAO-05-377]
(Washington, D.C.: June 20, 2005).
[3] Pub. L. No. 95-87, as amended by Pub L. No. 101-508, Title VI, §
6010(2), Nov. 5, 1990.
[4] These states include Arizona, California, Colorado, Idaho,
Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Oregon, South Dakota, Utah, Washington,
and Wyoming.
[5] BLM and Forest Service, Abandoned Mine Lands: A Decade of Progress
Reclaiming Hardrock Mines (September 2007).
[6] 43 C.F.R. part 3809 and 36 C.F.R. part 228, subpart A.
[7] 42 USC §§ 9601-9675.
[8] EPA, Office of Inspector General, Nationwide Identification of
Hardrock Mining Sites, 2004-P-00005 (Washington, D.C., Mar. 31, 2004).
[9] 42 U.S.C. § 9608(b); 74 Fed. Reg. 37213 (July 28, 2009).
[10] [hyperlink, http://www.gao.gov/products/GAO-06-884T].
[11] [hyperlink, http://www.gao.gov/products/GAO-08-574T].
[12] U.S. Department of the Interior, Office of Surface Mining
Reclamation and Enforcement, 2006 Report to the President and Congress
(Washington, D.C.: Oct. 1, 2006).
[13] [hyperlink, http://www.gao.gov/products/GAO-08-574T] and
[hyperlink, http://www.gao.gov/products/GAO-09-429T].
[14] The six studies are (1) Western Governors' Association and
National Mining Association, Cleaning up Abandoned Mines: A Western
Partnership (1998); (2) Interstate Mining Compact Commission, State
NonCoal AML Inventory (2001); (3) Interstate Mining Compact
Commission, NonCoal Minerals Survey and Report (expected issuance
Spring 2008); (4) Mineral Policy Center, Cleaning Up Western
Watersheds (2003); (5) Earthworks fact sheets on hardrock mining from
Earthworks Web site last visited on March 4, 2008 [hyperlink,
http://www.earthworksaction.org/resources.cfm]; and (6) EPA, Reference
Notebook (September 2004).
[15] [hyperlink, http://www.gao.gov/products/GAO-08-574T].
[16] [hyperlink, http://www.gao.gov/products/GAO-08-429R].
[17] GAO, Federal Land Management: Availability and Potential
Reliability of Selected Data Elements at Five Agencies, [hyperlink,
http://www.gao.gov/products/GAO-11-377] (Washington, D.C.: Apr. 20,
2011).
[18] [hyperlink, http://www.gao.gov/products/GAO-08-574T].
[19] In total, OSM has provided more than $3 billion under its
Abandoned Mine Land Program, which primarily focuses on cleaning up
abandoned coal mine sites.
[20] [hyperlink, http://www.gao.gov/products/GAO-05-377].
[21] [hyperlink, http://www.gao.gov/products/GAO-08-574T].
[End of section]
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