The Practice of “Approximate Original Contour” in the Central Appalachians. II. Economic and Environmental Consequences of an Alternative

Details

• Personal Author:
  Bell JC ; Daniels WL ; Zipper CE
• Description:
  Coal surface mining has had profound effects on the steeply sloping central Appalachian landscape since the early 1950's. The "shoot- and-shove" mining practices of past years resulted in a number of environmental problems. A federal law, the Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act of 1977 (SMCRA), was passed to rectify these problems. A major provision of SMCRA is its requirement that mined lands be returned to "approximate original contour" (aoc). Smcra has brought vast improvements in reclamation practice to central appalachia. However, the return of surface mined lands to aoc remains highly controversial, as many criticize the environmental, economic, and land-use effects of aoc. An alternative to conventional contour surface mining (aoc) was investigated at an experimental mining site in Wise County, Virginia. The terrain at this site is the steeply sloping "points and hollows" topography commonly found throughout the central Appalachian coalfields, and the equipment utilized was typical of haul-back mining operations throughout the region. This experimental alternatve allowed all highwalls to be covered and all SMCRA performance standards (except aoc) to be met. A detailed investigation of the cost of mining and reclamation indicates that the experimental reclamation method was less costly than conventional aoc reclamation at this site. Additional favorable consequences result from implementation of the alternative method, including an improvement of the postmining land- use potential and less injurious environmental effects. [Description provided by NIOSH]
• Subjects:
  Occupational Health Safety
• Series:
  Mining Publications
• ISSN:
  0169-2046
• Document Type:
  Text
• Funding:
  Grant
• Genre:
  Journal Article
• Place as Subject:
  OSHA Region 3 ; Virginia
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• Pages in Document:
  139-152
• Volume:
  18
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:10008391
• Citation:
  Landsc Urban Plan 1989 Dec; 18(2):139-152
• Contact Point Address:
  Carl E. Zipper, Department of Crop and Soil EnvironmentalSciences, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Blacksburg, VA 24061-0404 (U.S.A.)
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  1990
• Performing Organization:
  Virginia Polytechnic Inst & St Univ
• Peer Reviewed:
  False
• Source Full Name:
  Landscape and Urban Planning
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:a737fd3b2ae34539ff357f8acf5a61133b23296736cacc65ea5893cbbbbbfeb11153c1f58382c5defc33f6909081369e23edf9fc0803ffde5a656d3a9d64a764
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/219849/cdc_219849_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 1.78 MB ]