Answer:
Once production on a mine stops, a small labour force remains behind to shut down and decommission the site. This involves removing completely the machinery that can be, or needs to be, removed. Often this is taken to another site or sold.
Mining operations, however expansive and complex, are temporary. Eventually, once the most accessible and valuable materials have been extracted, the mine is closed, and the site must be restored back to its original state. This includes covering up mine entrances, replanting grass and trees, and testing surrounding water, soil, and air for contaminants.
Since 1977 when the U.S. Congress enacted the Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act, many regulations have been established to ensure mine sites are operated, and any environmental damage is remediated, in a responsible way. The Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement (OSMRE), for example, is a bureau within the United States Department of the Interior created to address coal mine remediation.
The OSMRE’s mission statement asserts, “Our primary objectives are to ensure that coal mines are operated in a manner that protects citizens and the environment during mining and assures that the land is restored to beneficial use following mining, and to mitigate the effects of past mining by aggressively pursuing reclamation of abandoned coal mines.”
Other U.S. laws governing the mining industry include:
The Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation and Liability Act (CERCLA), or the Superfund program
The Clean Water Act
The Resource Conservation and Recovery Act.
Similar European Union directives include:
The Environmental Impact Assessment Directive
The Water Framework Directive
The Waste Framework, Hazardous Waste, and Landfill Directives.
Canadian federal directives include:
The Canadian Environmental Assessment Act
The Fisheries Act
The Canadian Environmental Protection Act.
