Walden and Shimkus Applaud EPA's Hardrock Mining Decision

Statement

House Energy and Commerce Committee Chairman Greg Walden (R-OR) and Environment Subcommittee Chairman John Shimkus (R-IL) today issued the following statement after the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced Friday that they will not be issuing final regulations on the proposal entitled, "Financial Responsibility Requirements Under CERCLA 108(b) for Classes of Facilities in the Hardrock Mining Industry."

"EPA's Regulatory Impact Analysis for the proposed rule estimated the financial impact of this rule to be over $7.1 billion and would have required the mining industry incur up to $171 million per year in new financial assurance costs," said Walden and Shimkus. "Given the complexity and financial burdens associated with this rule, we applaud EPA for acknowledging that the degree and duration of risk of today's mining practices do not warrant the imposition of separate federal financial assurance requirements under section 108(b)of CERCLA."

Over the course of the rulemaking, the Energy and Commerce Committee weighed in with the EPA multiple times regarding the fact that the rule was unnecessary because of existing state and federal financial assurance and bonding requirements that govern the mining industry and because the rule would have placed an undue burden on the hardrock mining industry. In February, Chairman Walden sent EPA a letter along with other House chairmen requesting an extension to the comment period for the proposed rule.

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