Last week, the US Senate passed the bipartisan Good Samaritan Remediation of Abandoned Hardrock Mines Act of 2024, a longtime priority of Trout Unlimited. Across the country, there are some 500,000 abandoned mines polluting our public waterways, but reclamation and restoration efforts are stymied by a legal roadblock. Current US laws treat groups and organizations that have experience and expertise in restoration projects the same as polluters, so the legal exposure for these so-called good-samaritans prevents them from initiating the much needed work to reclaim these thousands of abandoned mines and ensuring we have clean, healthy waterways.
Well, that may soon be changing after the Senate passed, through unanimous consent, this sorely needed legislation. If this bill is signed into law, it would establish a new program under the Environmental Protection Agency ensuring legal protections for 15 low-risk abandoned mine cleanup pilot projects conducted by state agencies, tribes, and qualified volunteer parties.
“Passage of the Good Samaritan legislation is the perfect demonstration of the application of common sense to common problems for the common good, and it validates TU’s approach of bridging divides to care for the lands and waters that sustain our great nation,” said Chris Wood, President and CEO of Trout Unlimited. “We thank Senators Risch and Heinrich for their unwavering commitment to cleaning up historic mine pollution and advancing the work of Good Samaritans across the country.”
Now we just need the House of Representatives to pass its companion bill, and then it heads to the President’s desk to be signed into law. You can tell your Congress People to support this legislation through this Trout Unlimited Action Alert!
Cover picture courtesy of Trout Unlimited.
