Once mining is over, do the strip mines get reclaimed?
The 1977 Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act and the State of Alaskas implementation of it requires that mining sites be restored to their original contours. Mining companies have received waivers from this provision by showing that the leveled area will be developed for industrial or commercial purposes. One example where reclamation has been ineffective is in Montana, where, according to the U.S. Department of the Interiors Office of Surface Mining (OSM) in Montana, as of October 2005, over 62,000 acres have been permitted for strip mining. Over 31,000 acres have been mined. According to the Montana Department of Environmental Quality 2006 Annual Report, of the 31,000 acres to be mined only 216 acres have been released from their surety bonds because they had completed all four phases of land reclamation.
