CALIFORNIA IN BRIEF : SACRAMENTO : Mine Law Ignored, Officials Testify

More than 250 of 1,000 active mines in California are in violation of state law because owners have no plans to restore the sites once mining operations are completed, state officials testified Friday. Despite widespread violations of the 14-year-old state law, not a single mine operator has been penalized for failing to develop a reclamation plan. During a review of 155 mines closed since 1976, state investigators found only 18 sites had been reclaimed in compliance with the law. Investigators were unable to find 47 of the mines or were denied access to the sites.