1992 extends the requirement for payment of these Title IV funds through 2004. 

 Under Title V of SMCRA, States may assume responsibility for permitting coal mines, 

 with oversight from the Office of Surface Mining. States that have a Title V program 

 under SMCRA may also have Title IV abandoned and inactive mine programs, 

 making them eligible to receive Title IV funds. The funds may be used for the reclama- 

 tion of hardrock mines if coal mine reclamation in the State is largely completed. 



Programs vary from State to State, depending in part on the level of coal mining 

 activity and the amount of money being paid into the Abandoned Mine Reclamation 

 Fund. Each State has its own reclamation objectives, with the Office of Surface Mining 

 providing a level of consistency. Usually, the land owners are responsible for safe- 

 guarding hazards on their property, including abandoned mines. The State inactive 

 mine program assists owners with the closure of mine openings using Title IV funds. 

 Federal agencies are responsible for abandoned and inactive mines on lands under 

 their jurisdiction and the Forest Service has an ongoing program on National Forest 

 System lands. Abandoned and inactive mines are being located, and mitigation or 

 reclamation work is undertaken as appropriate and as funding permits. 



Opportunities for Management— There are several ways to accommodate the 

 projected increase in the Nation's demands for various minerals of all kinds over the 

 next 50 years. They include: 



— Increasing domestic production by improving the business climate, encouraging 

 minerals production on private lands, facilitating mineral development on Federal 

 lands, and by improving information on domestic mineral location, quantity, and 

 quality; 



— Increasing imports through tax and trade measures and bilateral agreements 

 with foreign nations; 



— Extending supplies through more efficient recovery during mining and 

 processing, more efficient use in manufacturing and consumption, and recycling; 



— Substituting nonmineral materials for minerals and abundant minerals for scarce 

 ones; and 



— Improving, through research, the basic information for more effectively mitigating 

 the environmental effects of mining. 



Futures Background 



Projections of longrun demands and supplies are strongly influenced by prevailing 

 shortrun conditions. The last 10 years have been a turbulent time as measured by 

 fiscal and monetary policies and other indicators of the macroeconomic situation. The 

 basic assumptions for this Assessment Update, however, are consistent with historical 

 conditions, and the assumptions are generally consistent with long-held national goals 



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