The second edition of Boldt/Weller’s commentary on mining law was published at the end of 2015. Published in 1982 at the time the Federal Mining Act came into effect, the first edition of this commentary has now been completely revised by Gunther Kühne and Hans-Ulrich von Mäßenhausen. The commentary has been written by experts with practical experience in mining law from the legal profession, relevant authorities and universities. Since the Federal Mining Act came into effect in 1982, the application of case law has led to considerable changes in the law itself. This is not always evident in the wording of the Federal Mining Act, which makes the publication of a current, extensive commentary on the Federal Mining Act now all the more significant.
Although the public often associates mining with coal mining, a wide variety of commercial activities in other industries are subject to the Federal Mining Act. The practical relevance of this law is therefore not to be underestimated. The new commentary will be of great assistance to companies, authorities, lawyers and courts. This commentary is the essential companion for practitioners in solving future issues in the field of mining law. Consequently, all those involved in the industry are indebted to the editors, the authors and the publisher for finally filling this gap in the canon of legal commentary in such a distinguished manner.
Review: Harald Knöchel, Head of Legal Services/Compliance at RAG Aktiengesellschaft, Herne, Germany.