Ronnie J. Haynes

Large deposits of recoverable lignite (> 16 billion tons) occur in parts of Alabama, Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, and Texas. Commercial surface mining of these reserves has occurred only in eastern Texas, but additional mining has been proposed for Texas and the other states during the 1980's. Almost all of the new mining would occur in the Southeastern Mixed Forest· (Pineywoods) ecoregion, and the Prairie Parkland ecoregion of eastern Texas. Potential impacts on fish and wildlife will be lessened because of the enactment of the Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act of 1977 (P...

The Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act of 1977 was enacted into law on 3 August 1977. Successful implementation and enforcement of the environmental performance standards of the Act will reduce or eliminate many of the previously recognized environmental perturbations of surface mining, and will result in numerous positive benefits for fish and wildlife. However, fish and wildlife will continue to be adversely affected by surface mining due to losses of specific habitat types and reclamations which result in postmining changes in habitat type and interspersion of habitats. The...