PREFACE 



This report is intended to provide readers from Federal, State, and local 

 governnnents and the general public with a description of the process of min- 

 ing and reclamation in the coalfields of the Western United States and some 

 of the associated environmental problems. Reclamation is complex and in- 

 volves many technical disciplines. The technical language in this report has 

 been simplified as much as possible, or defined. The report includes photo- 

 graphs that illustrate various aspects of reclamation and some of the prob- 

 lems encountered in the reclamation process and a table that presents an 

 overview of reclamation at 22 coal mines. 



The report is based on 1978 observations by personnel of the Geological 

 Survey, the Bureau of Land Management, and the Office of Surface Mining 

 Reclamation and Enforcement of the U.S. Department of the Interior and of 

 the Forest Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture. Our observations, in- 

 dividual and collective, have been supplemented by a review of the available 

 literature. 



