ABSTRACT

One frequently neglected aspect o f the Mining Law is its applica­ bility to land where the minerals are owned by the federal govern­ ment but the surface is privately owned. There are some 63 million acres in this category, though on only about two-thirds o f this acreage have minerals subject to the Mining Law been reserved.1 Evolving attitudes toward application o f the Mining Law on these lands are worth brief consideration, for they typify the change in policy toward conflicts between mineral and nonmineral uses dis­ cussed in preceding chapters.