Mineral Resources

Hardrock Mining Reclamation Gao ID: T-RCED-93-67 August 5, 1993

More than five years ago, GAO reported that it would cost nearly $300 million to reclaim abandoned, suspended, or unauthorized hardrock mining operations on federal land in 11 western states; cleanup estimates since then have ranged as high as $71.5 billion. No federal program or funding sources now exists to ensure that past hardrock reclamation problems on government and private land are remedied. Accordingly, any public policy decision on how best to address these reclamation needs will have to carefully consider the workability of such a program and the source of funding.



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