To promote remediation of abandoned hardrock mines, and for other purposes.
Sponsors
Legislative Progress
Passed SenateMr. Heinrich (for himself, Mr. Risch, Mr. Hickenlooper, Mr. Crapo, …
Mr. Heinrich (for himself, Mr. Risch, Mr. Hickenlooper, Mr. Crapo, …
Mr. Heinrich (for himself, Mr. Risch, Mr. Hickenlooper, Mr. Crapo, …
Mr. Heinrich (for himself, Mr. Risch, Mr. Hickenlooper, Mr. Crapo, …
Mr. Heinrich (for himself, Mr. Risch, Mr. Hickenlooper, Mr. Crapo, …
Mr. Heinrich (for himself, Mr. Risch, Mr. Hickenlooper, Mr. Crapo, …
Mr. Heinrich (for himself, Mr. Risch, Mr. Hickenlooper, Mr. Crapo, …
Mr. Heinrich (for himself, Mr. Risch, Mr. Hickenlooper, Mr. Crapo, …
Mr. Heinrich (for himself, Mr. Risch, Mr. Hickenlooper, Mr. Crapo, …
Mr. Heinrich (for himself, Mr. Risch, Mr. Hickenlooper, Mr. Crapo, …
Summary
What This Bill Does
Establishes a "Good Samaritan" program allowing volunteer organizations, states, and individuals to clean up abandoned hardrock mines without assuming federal environmental liability. Creates permits through EPA that authorize cleanup activities while providing legal protection to Good Samaritans.
Who Benefits and How
Mining communities and environmental restoration groups benefit by gaining ability to remediate polluted sites without risk of CERCLA/Clean Water Act liability. States gain authority to establish complementary Good Samaritan programs. Adjacent landowners benefit from cleanup of contaminated sites.
Who Bears the Burden and How
EPA faces increased administrative burden reviewing and issuing Good Samaritan permits. Federal land management agencies must coordinate on federal lands. No responsible party can benefit - only truly abandoned sites qualify.
Key Provisions
- Defines "abandoned mine site" with specific exclusions (active sites, NPL sites, sites with responsible owners)
- Creates Good Samaritan permits with application requirements and public comment periods
- Provides liability protection under CERCLA, Clean Water Act, and other environmental laws
- Requires net improvement over baseline environmental conditions
Evidence Chain:
This summary is derived from the structured analysis below. See "Detailed Analysis" for per-title beneficiaries/burden bearers with clause-level evidence links.
Primary Purpose
Creates voluntary Good Samaritan program allowing parties to remediate abandoned hardrock mine sites without incurring federal liability
Policy Domains
Legislative Strategy
"Remove liability barriers to voluntary mine cleanup"
Bill Structure & Actor Mappings
Who is "The Secretary" in each section?
- "the_administrator"
- → Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency
- "the_administrator"
- → Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency
Key Definitions
Terms defined in this bill
Person remediating mine site who is not liable under environmental law
We use a combination of our own taxonomy and classification in addition to large language models to assess meaning and potential beneficiaries. High confidence means strong textual evidence. Always verify with the original bill text.
Learn more about our methodology