Inventory of Eastern US Coal-Mined Land Characteristics

This project investigated lands mined for coal and reclaimed under the Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act (SMCRA) in eastern US. Conducted by three professors affiliated to CGIT, the research quantified total mined-land acreages, determined the lands’ SMCRA-permit post-mining land uses, and described soil and site properties determining reforestation potentials of lands reclaimed to hayland-pasture but not under active use for that purpose. The study also interpreted the results and drew conclusions regarding SMCRA’s success in achieving environmental-policy goals.

Some of the activities included the assembly of a database of post-SMCRA mine permit acreages, a selection of a random but stratified sample of mine permits to represent the complete population of post-SMCRA mined acreages, and a characterization of the representative sample to determine SMCRA-permitted post-mining land use.