(S. 7): Surface Mine and Reclamation Act of 1975: The vote is on the Mansfield amendment to ban future strip mining in some parts of the west, and protected the rights of property owners who might otherwise be forced off their land. A National Academy of Science study concluded that most western states did not have enough water to support large scale coal development and that large areas would be impossible to reclaim for agriculture because the strip mining would destroy the soil and the aquifers. The President opposed the amendment. March 11, 1975. Rejected 39-56. The correct vote is yes.