Of the many people who became involved in the project, Dr. Lee Daniels' role was to investigate ways to restore pasture land and forests from a soils perspective, working along with Jim Burger of Forestry. To start out, it is important to understand the nature of soils exposed by surface or strip mining: these soils are subsoil in nature with no topsoil left. They are often very acidic and possess large quantities of elements which can be toxic to plants at such high levels. Daniels wanted to restore diverse plant life to the sites by first amending/improving these inhibitory soils so they could once again support plant life, preferably using materials recycled from other processes. So in the early '80s, he started to examine the effects of adding several by-products to existing mine soils: topsoil, sawdust (organic waste from lumbering), sewage sludge (a human waste product high in Nitrogen, Phosphorus, and some metals), or coal flyash (a powdery residue remaining after coal combustion) to the exposed soils.

Although about 20,000 acres of Virginia farmland have had sludge applied, this feasible solution for land reclamation has never fully materialized; primarily because no one anticipated the subsequent negative public reaction to sludge applications. Residents of rural mining regions looked at this as simply a way for the urban areas to ÒdumpÓ their wastes on them. They also rejected any idea of the safety of sludge as an amendment because it is "sludge" (therefore it must be toxic!) in their "backyard!" In fact, the ensuing public outcry when large scale sludge use was being investigated virtually killed the idea for further use in Virginia. You see, the law made no restrictions on the use of the same land after the 5 year period of reclamation; it could be left alone, farmed (exept for root crops), developed, and even strip or deep mined again. There may even be a bill introduced into the Virginia General Assembly to formally outlaw the use of sludge to reclaim surface mined soils.

In both instances, there is an inextricable link connecting Science, Politics, and Sociology. Experience has also shown that for waste management to be effective in solving other problems, all three factors must be considered.