Proceedings of the Symposium on Valid Existing Rights Author Various Authors Date 1990 Source IUCN (ID: MON-044316) Publisher | Place of publication University of Kentucky College of Law | Lexington, KY, USA Pages 764 p. Document type Monography/book Conference name | place | date Symposium on Valid Existing Rights | Washington | 19900403 -19900404 Language English Country/Territory United States of America Subject Mineral resources Keyword Governance Abstract This symposium was convened to help define Valid Existing Rights. Section 522(e) of SMCRA prohibits surface coal mining operations in certain protected areas, such as national parks, wilderness areas and buffer zones around dwellings, schools, churches and roads, unless the mining operations were in existence prior to August 3, 1977, the implementation date of SMCRA, or a person has VER. The term is not defined in SMCRA