In a five-minute video entitled Coal Mine Reclamation in Montana, Montana Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) Director Tom Livers and his staff offer insight into how they work with coal companies to accomplish important environmental work.
Montana began regulating strip mining in 1971 when the Legislature adopted the Montana Open Cut and Strip Mine Reclamation Act. The law requires that all lands disturbed by the taking of natural resources be reclaimed, and that the Legislature provide procedures and standards for the reclamation. Today, the Montana DEQ works with coal mining companies to allow for human activity without compromising the environment.
“DEQ and the mines work together to bring a problem-solving mentality to the process,” said DEQ Director Tom Livers. “The goal is to take what we have today, and figure out how we can make it better tomorrow.”
For more information, see this press release or contact DEQ’s Paul J. Driscoll at (406) 444-6421.
