Crapo, Risch, Colleagues Introduce Bipartisan Legislation to Remove Hurdles for Good Samaritans to Clean Up Abandoned Hardrock Mines

Press Release

U.S. Senator Mike Crapo (R-Idaho) joined Senators Jim Risch (R-Idaho), Martin Heinrich (D-New Mexico) and five colleagues to introduce the bipartisan Good Samaritan Remediation of Abandoned Hardrock Mines Act. This legislation would make it easier for "Good Samaritans" such as state agencies, local governments, nonprofits and other groups to clean up and improve water quality in and around abandoned hardrock mines.

"We all have a responsibility to ourselves and future generations to preserve, protect and enhance our natural environment," said Senator Crapo. "Allowing work to move forward in responsibly cleaning up mines that negatively affect the environment is critical to that endeavor. Removing bureaucratic red tape will further improve their efforts."

Additional co-sponsors of the legislation include U.S. Senators Jon Tester (D-Montana), John Barrasso (R-Wyoming), Ben Ray Luján (D-New Mexico), Steve Daines (R-Montana) and Michael Bennet (D-Colorado).

The U.S. has over 140,000 abandoned hardrock mine features, of which 22,500 pose environmental hazards according to the Government Accountability Office. Organizations that have no legal or financial responsibility to an abandoned mine--true Good Samaritans--want to volunteer to remediate some of these sites. Unfortunately, liability rules would leave these Good Samaritans legally responsible for all the pre-existing pollution from a mine, even though they had no involvement with the mine prior to cleaning it up.

The Good Samaritan Remediation of Abandoned Hardrock Mines Act creates a pilot permitting program to enable not-for-profit cleanup efforts to move forward, while ensuring Good Samaritans have the skills and resources to comply with federal oversight. This pilot program is designed for lower risk projects which will improve water and soil quality or otherwise protect human health.

The legislation has received support from Trout Unlimited, Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership, Backcountry Hunters & Anglers, Property and Environment Research Center, National Deer Association, National Wildlife Federation, National Mining Association, American Exploration and Mining Association, Congressional Sportsmen's Foundation, Izaak Walton League of America and the Outdoor Alliance.

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