356 CONFERENCE ON NATURAL BEAUTY 



Reclamation of mined land, including planting to grass or trees 

 should be done on a planned basis under technical guidance of 

 personnel trained in this field. 



Reclamation programs should be carried out so that the final use 

 of the land will not appreciably reduce the taxable value of the land 

 below the valuation which the land carried before mining opera- 

 tions commenced. 



Mine owners should not be content with a minimum of reclama- 

 tion. They should encourage voluntary participation in sound 

 reclamation practices by all operators in their areas. 



The surface mine industry believes that where regulation is de- 

 sirable, it should be the responsibility of the State or local agencies. 

 This thinking results from the practicable knowledge that conditions 

 of the land subject to reclamation are so varied that no single formula 

 can be established. Endorsing this contention, the Tennessee Valley 

 Authority said : 



No two strip mines are the same and rarely are two parts of the 

 same mine identical. The proportions of stone and soil vary greatly, 

 and for any particular spot, the proportions change with weathering 

 and erosion. Acidity varies sharply within short distances. 



We feel that conscientious effort is being made by the industry to 

 prosecute a progressive and productive program of land reclamation. 

 Great forward steps have been taken; however, much more is in the 

 future. It should be realized that in many cases of complaint of 

 denuded soils hi surface mining operations, the time element required 

 for the weathering process to make land suitable for vegetation 

 causes the barren appearance. However, this will be rectified within 

 a short time to produce verdant growth in most cases. 



On the subject of reclamation of strip mine banks, the Department 

 of Agriculture, in one of its recent reports, states : 



Most authorities advise delay of planting until the banks have 

 settled and severe erosion has had a chance to run its course. 



The surface coal mining industry accepts and honors its responsi- 

 bility for the reclamation of the lands mined. The industry has 

 proven by past accomplishments that it is capable of solving this prob- 

 lem and affecting a result that will be a credit to the industry, to the 

 communities and in consonance with the aims and purposes of the 

 White House Conference on Natural Beauty. We only ask that in 

 carrying forward this program our work be appraised and judged 



