Coal - Energy Policy Analysis: A Conceptual Framework - page 24

Surface mining operations have produced cliff-like highwalls as high as 200 feet in the United
States. Such highwalls may be created at the end of a surface mining operation where stripping
becomes uneconomical or where a mine reaches the boundary of a current lease or mineral
ownership. These highwalls are hazards to people, wildlife, and domestic livestock. They may
impede normal wildlife migration routes. Steep slopes also merit special attention because of the
significance of impacts associated with them when mined. While impacts from contour mining
on steep slopes are of the same type as all mining, the severity of these impacts increases as the
degree of slope increases. This is due to increased difficulties in dealing with problems of erosion
and land stability on steeper slopes (OSM 1979).
Geologic and Historic Resources
Adverse impacts on geological features of human interest may occur in a surface mine area.
Geomorphic and geophysical features and outstanding scenic resources may be sacrificed by
indiscriminate mining. Paleontological, cultural, and other historic values may be endangered
due to disruptive activities of blasting and excavating coal. Stripping of overburden eliminates
and destroys archeological and historic features unless they are removed beforehand. Extrac-
tion of coal by surface mining disrupts virtually all esthetic elements of the landscape (OSM
1979).
Socioeconomic Impacts
Due to intensive mechanization, surface mines may require fewer workers than underground mines
with equivalent production. The influence on human populations of surface mining is therefore
not generally as significant as with underground mines. In low-population areas, however, local
populations cannot provide needed labor so there is migration to the area because new jobs are
available at a mine. Unless adequate advance planning is done by government and mine opera-
tors, new populations may cause overcrowded schools and hospitals and make demands on other
public services that cannot easily be met. Some social instability may be created in nearby com-
munities by coal mining.
Many impacts can be minimized but may not be eliminated entirely by use of best mining
practices either voluntarily or to comply with government regulatory programs. Financial in-
centives to minimize costs of production may limit use of best mining practices in the absence
of effective regulation. Some temporary destruction of the land surface is an environmental
price we pay for utilization of coal resources. The scale of disturbance, its duration, and the
quality of reclamation are largely determined by management of the operation during mining
(Hamilton 2005).
Beneficial Effects
Surface mining may have beneficial impacts on some wildlife. Where large, continuous tracts of
forest, bush land, sagebrush, or grasslands are broken up during mining, increased edge and open-
ings are created. Preferred food and cover plants can be established in these openings to benefit a
wide variety of wildlife. Under certain conditions, creation of small lakes in the mined area may
also be beneficial. These lakes and ponds may become important water sources for a variety of
wildlife inhabiting adjacent areas, provided water quality is good. Many lakes formed in mine
pits are initially of poor quality as aquatic habitat after mining, due to lack of structure, aquatic