Editing Lignite (section)

== Extraction ==
Lignite is often found in thick beds located near the surface.<ref name=brit/><ref name="victoria-coal-data-sheet"/> These are inexpensive to extract using various forms of [[surface mining]], though this can result in serious environmental damage.<ref name="NGcoal">{{cite web |last1=Turgeon |first1=Andrew |last2=Morse |first2=Elizabeth |title=Coal |date=22 December 2012 |url=https://www.nationalgeographic.org/encyclopedia/coal/ |publisher=National Geographic |access-date=25 September 2021 |archive-date=25 September 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210925182608/https://www.nationalgeographic.org/encyclopedia/coal/ |url-status=live }}</ref> Regulations in the United States and other countries require that land that is surface mined must be restored to its original productivity once mining is complete.<ref name="BNIreclaim">{{cite web |title=Reclamation Process |url=http://www.bnicoal.com/about/reclamation-process |website=Mining Lignite Coal for our Energy Future |publisher=BNI Coal |access-date=25 September 2021 |archive-date=25 September 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210925182556/http://www.bnicoal.com/about/reclamation-process |url-status=live }}</ref>

[[Strip mining]] of lignite in the United States begins with [[Boring (earth)|drilling]] to establish the extent of the subsurface beds. [[Topsoil]] and [[subsoil]] must be properly removed and either used to reclaim previously mined-out areas or stored for future reclamation. [[Excavator]] and truck [[overburden]] removal prepares the area for [[Dragline excavator|dragline]] overburden removal to expose the lignite beds. These are broken up using specially equipped tractors (''coal ripping'') and then loaded into bottom dump trucks using [[Loader (equipment)|front loaders]].<ref name="BNIprocess">{{cite web |title=Mining Process |url=http://www.bnicoal.com/about/mining-process |website=Mining Lignite Coal for our Energy Future |publisher=BNI Coal |access-date=25 September 2021}}</ref>

Once the lignite is removed, restoration involves grading the mine spoil to as close an approximation as practical of the original ground surface (Approximate Original Contour or AOC). Subsoil and topsoil are restored and the land reseeded with various grasses. In [[North Dakota]], a [[performance bond]] is held against the mining company for at least ten years after the end of mining operations to guarantee that the land has been restored to full productivity.<ref name="BNIreclaim"/> A bond (not necessary in this form) for [[mine reclamation]] is required in the US by the [[Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act of 1977]].<ref>{{cite web |title=Reclamation Bonds |url=https://www.osmre.gov/resources/reclamation-bonds |website=Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement |access-date=2022-03-18 |archive-date=2022-03-02 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220302211054/https://www.osmre.gov/resources/reclamation-bonds |url-status=live }}</ref>