©2026 League of Conservation Voters
1974 Scorecard Vote
156
255
23
Issues
Surface Mine Control and Reclamation Act of 1974 (H.R. 11500). The vote is on the Hosmer substitute bill to prescribe weaker environmental standards for surface mining and reclamation than those approved by the House Interior Committee. The Hosmer substitute did not provide for reclamation of previously strip mined lands, for Indian lands or for open pit mining. There was no requirement for successful re-vegetation or any protection to surface owners whose land is strip mined by coal companies. Rep. Patsy Mink and others who opposed the substitute said that “there was no merit to the coal companies’ scare tactics that the Committee bill would shut down mines all across the country.” The Committee bill was similar to tough mining laws in Ohio and Pennsylvania where coal production had increased and miners had not been thrown out of work. The President took no official position on the amendment, but did release a memo objecting to major provisions in the Committee bill. July 18, 1974. Rejected 156-255. NO is the correct vote.
©2026 League of Conservation Voters