Y T. Ino RECLAMATION PRACTICES AND ENVIRONMENTAL CHARLES CONKLIN, Staff Director STANLEY SCOVILLE, Special Counsel DONALD A. CRANE, Special Consultant on Surface Mining Legislation ROBERT L. TERRELL, Minority Consultant on Energy and the Environment NOTE. The first listed minority member is counterpart to the subcommittee chairman. (II) Bailey, Earl, professor, University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa_ Bevill, Hon. Tom, a U.S. Representative from the State of Alabama Cheatwood, Earl, chairman, Concerned Citizens for Better Strip Kelce, William, Alabama Mining Reclamation Association_. James Manicure, vice president, Virginia Coal & Coke Co--- J. D. Nicewonder, president, Contracting Enterprises; and Vir- F. D. Robertson, president, Knox Creek Coal- Dennis Willis, Thompson & Litton, Inc.. Luke Witt, president, Virginia Coal Association__ Smith, David, operator, Kentucky Independent Coal Producers Wampler, Hon. William C., a United States Representative from the France, Thomas, staff director, Powder River Basin Resource Council, 73, 80 Jackson, J. L., president, Falcon Coal Co., Inc.. 178, 189 MacGregor, Ian, chairman, AMAX, Inc_- 178, 220 Morton, Paul, president, Cannelton Industries, Inc., on behalf of Yarger, Charles, chairman, Northern Plains Resource Council__ Phelps, E. R., president, Peabody Coal Co., on behalf of American 185, 240 182, 233 166, 173 APPENDIX Additional material submitted for the hearing record, by Hon. John H. (III) 119 RECLAMATION PRACTICES PROBLEMS OF SURFACE MINING MONDAY, JANUARY 10, 1977 HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, COMMITTEE ON INTERIOR AND INSULAR AFFAIRS, Washington, D.C. The committee met, pursuant to notice, 9:55 a.m., Hon. Morris K. Udall (chairman of the committee) presiding. The CHAIRMAN. The committee will be in session. I feel sometimes that I have been here before. We are visiting old friends, the Federal strip mining legislation. While the Congress hasn't officially organized yet, and committees have not been appointed by the House, we have scheduled 2 days this week for briefings to look into the issues on the current status of strip mining and reclamation practices. This committee has attempted to enact the Federal strip mining bill for the past several years. Critics have argued that the need for a national bill has vanished. The bill's opponents argued that the reclamation regulations of the States have improved vastly and that the environmental abuses of strip mining are ancient history. Today and Wednesday we will take a hard look at that proposition. This morning we will hear from people concerned about mining east of the Mississippi. Wednesday we will focus on the West. Today's schedule includes both operators and citizens from Kentucky, Virginia, and Alabama. Montana, Wyoming, and Colorado citizens are scheduled Wednesday and at that time we will also hear from executives of major mining companies interested in Western coal development. On the first day of the 95th Congress, last week, I introduced H.R. 2, which is basically the same bill the committee reported last year. While the committee will hold formal hearings on this bill, the key provisions of H.R. 2 are obviously relevant to today's sessions, and I am sure they will be discussed. I have, however, asked that the witnesses be instructed to address also the more general issue of the status of strip mining regulation in the States represented here today. More detailed testimony on the provisions of H.R. 2 will be received at our formal hearings. The strip mining issue is not new to the Congress nor the Interior Committee. We have been actively engaged in the struggle to pass a strip mining bill through three successive Congresses. (1) |