ABSTRACT
This chapter describes the efforts of California's government to deal with the competition for land between aggregate mining and urbanization. It addresses only the land-use competition side of Surface Mining and Reclamation Act (SMARA). Relative to land-use planning, implementation of SMARA is a shared responsibility between the California Department of Conservation's Division of Mines and Geology, the State Mining and Geology Board, and the lead agencies of California. SMARA has also provided local government with the tools to make informed and rational decisions with respect to mineral resources. Almost all lead agencies have welcomed the SMARA data and most have used it well in their planning and permitting process. The SMARA mineral land classification study of the Fresno area pointed out to local planners the importance of the aggregate resources in the San Joaquin River, and that they were the only local source of sand and gravel serving this rapidly growing area.
