Filling In Mines Should Not Cost Taxpayers

Re “New Rule Imperils Mining, Firms Say,” April 15: In spite of a 27-year-old state law requiring mine operators to reclaim mined land to a usable condition, free from hazards to public health and safety, open-pit metallic mines have been allowed by local agencies to leave gaping craters in the Earth as vaguely defined reclaimed “open space.” These pits can reach hundreds of feet deep, with steep, dangerous walls, and form basins that collect toxic water.

The regulation approved by the State Mining and Geology Board on April 10 requires mine operators to fill these pits with the waste rock generated from excavation to at least match the surrounding surface elevation and to contour the site to reflect the area’s natural topography.

Along with the economic benefits of mining comes the environmental responsibility for reclaiming the disturbed lands to a safe and usable condition after mining is completed. Backfilling a pit is an operating cost that, not unlike other overhead costs, can be amortized over time in the price of the product. The true cost of reclamation should be compared with the costs that would be incurred by taxpayers who would later have to clean up any hazardous environmental conditions that may develop.

John Parrish

Executive Officer, State

Mining and Geology Board

Sacramento