ABSTRACT
To date, research on mine remediation in North America has focused primarily on technical management; relatively less is known about the historical, political and social dimensions of remediation. Remediation, as a continuation of the mining process, alters local landscapes and economies and can be both dangerous and beneficial for surrounding communities. Because remediation projects tend to focus on the technical aspects of clean-up, such projects risk overlooking the environmental injustices associated with past development and obscuring blame or responsibility from industry and government for environmental degradation. Insofar as it is understood as cleaning up or repairing environmental damage, remediation is generally seen as “doing the good” and is less amenable to political or ethical challenges based on community concerns or values. This paper argues that greater attention needs to be paid to public participation and justice concerns associated with cleaning up mine sites. Drawing from the literatures on ecological restoration, environmental justice, reconciliation, discard studies, and matters of care, we highlight critical, yet overlooked issues in the remediation of post-mining landscapes. We argue that remediation projects present a unique opportunity for the negotiation and articulation of morals, values, histories, and physical experiences associated with mine sites and we seek to re-frame remediation as an ongoing, creative process of community healing.
Acknowledgements
The authors would like to thank John Sandlos, Anna Storm, and two anonymous referees for their valuable feedback on earlier drafts.
Disclosure statement
No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.
ORCID
Caitlynn Beckett http://orcid.org/0000-0002-6003-7265
Notes
1 For example, in Northern Canada, the terms remediation and reclamation are used most often; however, these terms have changed throughout time, and other terms such as rehabilitation are more popular elsewhere in North America. American management plans often use reclamation, rehabilitation or restoration (see Roberts, Veiga, and Peiter Citation2000; Hockley and Hockley Citation2015; Dance Citation2015; Steenhof Citation2015).