The U.S. Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act was enacted in 1977.  It set federal mining standards for coal, as well as standards for the reclamation of mining sites.

The Act covered several major issues.  To begin with, the law mandated that operators of coal mines prove their reclamation capacity.  It required that former uses of the land be restored, and also that the land be returned to its original shape.  This involved replacing both topsoil and species of plants.  The Act made mining on Western agricultural land illegal, and it gave local farmers the power to veto such actions.  It required protection for the hydrologic environment, specifically from acid drainage. Finally, the law designated $4.1 billion for the purpose of reclaiming former strip mines.

The law placed enforcement duties on the individual states.  However, it stated that the U.S. Department of the Interior was to take over upon failure on the part of the states to enforce such regulations.

The text of the law