**GAO-09-854T**                      Published: Jul 14, 2009. Publicly Released: Jul 14, 2009.                  

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## Highlights

The General Mining Act of 1872 helped open the West by allowing individuals to obtain exclusive rights to mine billions of dollars worth of gold, silver, and other hardrock (locatable) minerals from federal lands without having to pay a federal royalty. However, western states charge royalties so that they share in the proceeds from the hardrock minerals extracted from their lands. For years, some mining operators abandoned land used in their mining operations, creating environmental and physical safety hazards. To curb further growth in the number of abandoned hardrock mines on federal lands, in 1981, the Department of the Interior's Bureau of Land Management (BLM) began requiring mining operators to reclaim BLM land disturbed by these operations.

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## Topics

Natural Resources and Environment

Coal miningConservationContaminationData integrityEnvironmental cleanupsEnvironmental policiesEnvironmental protectionExtractive industryFederal fundsFederal regulationsstate relationsFinancial managementGrants to statesGroundwater contaminationHealth hazardsLand leasesLand managementLand reclamationMetalsMine safetyMineral bearing landsMineral resourcesMineral rightsMiningMining industryPrecious metalsPublic healthPublic landsRoyalty paymentsSafety regulationSafety standardsSoil pollutionState taxesStatutory limitationStrip mining land reclamationSurface mining land reclamation