Contents
Title Page and Notice
i
Committee
iii
Reviewers
vii
National Academies Statement
viii
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
1
1
INTRODUCTION
11
Policy Context
13
Approach to the Study
16
Federal Lands and Hardrock Mining
17
Hardrock Mining
23
Potential Environmental Impacts of Hardrock Mining
27
Changing Contexts
31
Organization of the Report
35
2
EXISTING REGULATORY FRAMEWORK
37
Statutory Policies for Management
37
Environmental Regulation
40
Relationships Among State and Federal Environmental Regulations
52
Time Requirements for Environmental Review and Permitting
54
3
ADEQUACY OF ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION
57
Elements of a Regulatory Program
58
Regulatory Issues
62
Regulatory Implementation Issues
73
Scientific Issues
78
The Need for Early Stakeholder Consultation
81
Reclamation, Closure, and Post-Closure Management
82
Regulatory Efficiency Issues
86
Public Involvement Issues
87
Summary
88
4
CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS
89
Conclusions
89
Recommendations
93
Summary
123
REFERENCES
125
APPENDIX A
The Nature of Mining
135
Description of Ore Deposits
135
The Mining Process
138
The Uranium Industry
145
APPENDIX B
Potential Environmental Impacts of Hardrock Mining
149
Introduction
149
Cumulative Effects
150
Long-Term Monitoring
152
Water Quality
153
Water Quantity
157
Aquatic Biota
159
Landscape or Ecosystem Alterations
161
Terrestrial Vegetation
161
Riparian Vegetation
163
Wetlands: Hydrological and Surface Changes
164
Soil
164
Terrestrial Wildlife
165
Air Quality
166
Noise
167
APPENDIX C
Existing Regulatory Requirements
169
APPENDIX D
Research Needs
197
Water Quality
198
Hydrology
202
Ecology
205
Cumulative Impacts
207
Alternative Mining and Pollution Prevention Methods
207
Mining Technologies for the Future
209
Summary
213
APPENDIX E
Financial Assurance
215
Activities and Events Covered
215
Amount of Financial Assurance
216
Types of Financial Assurance
217
Conditions for Release
217
APPENDIX F
Presentations to the Committee
219
APPENDIX G
Individuals Who Provided Documents to the Committee
227
APPENDIX H
Biographical Sketches of Committee Members
233
ACRONYMS
239
GLOSSARY
241
