Originally published in 1987, John D. Leshy presents this scholarly study of the 1872 Mining Law as a legal treatise and history of mining in the West from the point of view of mineral exploration and production. . This title will be of interest to students of Environmental Studies and policy makers.

Foreword; Preface; 1. Introduction 2. Origins 3. The Mining Law: An Overview 4. Free Access: History of its Decline 5. Success, Abuse, and Difficulty: The Up and Down Sides of Free Access in Operation 6. Of Anachronisms, Ambiguities, and Frustration: The Mining Law's Ingenious Machinery in Operation 7. Evolution of the Law of Discovery 8.The Law of Discovery Today: Policy and Applications 9. The Problem of Scale: Multiple Claims and the Mining Law 10. Regulating Mining Law Activities to Protect the Environment 11. The Special Problem of Wilderness 12. The Split Estate: Federal Minerals under Privately Owned Surface 13. Administering the Mining Law: The Role of the Executive and the Courts 14. Reforming the Mining Law: A Brief History 15. Can Two Million Potential Property Interests on the Federal Lands Be Wrong? 16. The Leasing Alternative- and Strategic Minerals 17. The Mining Law Today: Prospects for Change; Appendix A: The Mining Law Excerpted; Appendix B: Outline of Typical Miners' Rules; Notes by Chapter; Acronyms Used Frequently in the Text; Name Index; Subject Index