©2025 League of Conservation Voters
1977 Scorecard Vote
35
44
17
(S. 7). The vote is on the Danforth amendment to weaken strip mine reclamation requirements in mountainous areas. The Committee bill required that the land be restored to its “approximate original contour.” The Danforth amendment gutted this provision and required only that strip mine operators obey federal pollution, health and safety laws, and restore the land sufficiently to meet local land use requirements. Yet state and local land use laws are often very weak, or don’t exist at all. This amendment would have allowed strip miners to leave highwalls in some areas because localities claimed they were planning to use the broad ledges underneath them for parking lots. The Administration and the environmentalists opposed the amendment. Rejected 35-46; May 20, 1977. No is the correct vote.
©2025 League of Conservation Voters