In the US you can't even begin to mine unless you have a reclamation plan and post a bond to cover it. The great miner Hoffman is as sorry an excuse of a miner as I've ever seen, and I've been in the mining field for 40 years. This guy is a clown. Anything he finds is pretty much dumb luck. Only guy in that show who knows what he's doing is the guy who does the maintenance, he is a real pro with what I've seen him do with a breakdown.
Yes, until the Mined Land Reclamation Act was passed anything went unless a State had reclamation laws. Many times now when a company wants to mine an old area that has not been reclaimed they are usually asked to reclaim so many acres of previously disturbed land. Most times not all of it but at least something.
Like we used to say of some miners who thought they were the greatest at drilling and mucking but couldn't even drill a hole right, Miner My As*. Todd, take note.
