The 1981 Review: In the late 1970s there was an upsurge of interest in the prospecting and mining of this country's mineral resources. That upsurge of interest was accompanied by a mounting public concern over the damage mining operations might do to the environment. Concern was also expressed about what some people perceived as inadequacies in the legislation which regulates mining and the grant of mining privileges, and inconsistencies in the relationship of that legislation to other legislation regulating land use and the use of resources.