What?
Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act (1977)
What is it?
The Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act (SMCRA) was enacted in 1977 after the US Congress recognized the need to regulate mining activity, rehabilitate abandoned mines, and protect society and the environment from the adverse effects of mining operations. Before 1977, surface coal mining landowners had abandoned 1.1 million coal mine sites in the United States.