论文部分内容阅读
一、案件的法律背景阿帕拉契亚山脉(Appalachian Mountains)是美国北部地区第二大山脉,纵贯美国多个州,蕴藏着丰富的煤炭资源。为开采这些煤矿,煤矿公司普遍采用一种名为“山顶移除开采”(mountaintop removal mining)的方法:首先采用炸药爆炸等方式将山顶部分的煤矿覆盖层移除,由此产生的废土被弃置在山脚的山谷或河谷中;其次按照特定顺序对覆盖层以下的煤矿进行开采;最后利用开采剩余的泥土加上部分覆盖层泥土“还原”山顶。这类采矿活动受到三方面法律的规制。1977年《露天采矿控制与恢复法》(Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act,SMCRA)
I. Legal Background of the Case The Appalachian Mountains, the second largest mountain range in the northern United States, run through many states in the United States and contain abundant coal resources. To exploit these coal mines, coal mine companies commonly employ a method called “mountaintop removal mining” by first removing the coal seam over the top of the hill by means of a bomb explosion, etc. The resulting waste The soil is disposed of in the valleys or valleys at the foothills; secondly, coal mines below the overburden are mined in a specific order; and finally the rest of the earth is mined with some of the overburden soil “restored”. Such mining activities are governed by three laws. 1977 Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act (SMCRA)