A PROCEDURE FOR ENVIRONMENTAL SITE PLANNING AND POSTMINING LAND USE PLANNING FOR SURFACE-MINABLE LAND: DEVELOPMENT, ANALYSIS, AND APPLICATION (RECLAMATION)

A detailed procedure was developed for evaluating the postmining land use potential of surface-minable land. As part of this development, a thorough review of past and current reclamation and postmining land use practices was conducted. Finally, the development of this procedure involved the adaptation and application of environmental site planning principles to surface mine planning.;An analysis was performed to determine the potential impacts of postmining land use planning upon project economics. This analysis involved a base case patterned after a Midwestern area mine. The sensitivity of selling price or rate of return to variations in parameters affected by postmining land use planning was determined. The parameters included in the analysis were reclamation planning cost, reclamation operations cost, disposal value of the land, and time until initial production. The economic analysis also included the consideration of several scenarios that coupled variations in investment schedules with a delay in initial production.;A method for systematically considering nonquantitative factors in selecting a postmining land use is also presented in this thesis. The method involves a matrix evaluation procedure that employs a structured hierarchy of fuzzy sets. Through pairwise comparisons, the relative importance of various nonquantitative factors can be weighted and the acceptability of several postmining land use alternatives can be ranked.;Finally, recommendations for improving the effectiveness of land use planning for surface-minable lands are included in this thesis. These recommendations are intended to help the mining industry deal with postmining land use planning requirements in an uncomplicated and cost-effective manner. They are also intended to provide for better economic and social use of reclaimed land while assuring the availability of mineral resources for future development by protecting renewable resources through the application of sound planning principles.;The postmining land use planning procedure was applied to three surface coal mine case studies in different regions of the United States. The first case study involved a small contour operation in Pennsylvania. In the second case study, an area mine located in Indiana was considered. The final case study involved an area lignite mine in North Dakota.