WASHINGTON–Wednesday, the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee passed the bipartisan Good Samaritan Remediation of Abandoned Hardrock Mines Act by unanimous consent. The bill, introduced by Rep. Mary Sattler Peltola (D-AK-AL) and Rep. Celeste Maloy (R-UT-02), will establish a pilot program under the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to allow “Good Samaritans”–such as non-profits, local governments, and state agencies–to obtain permits to clean up abandoned hardrock mines. 

“Despite having no legal or financial responsibility, state agencies, non-profits, and advocates are eager to contribute to abandoned hardrock mine cleanup efforts, but over-burdensome permitting requirements bar them from doing so. Too often, government red tape prevents good work from getting done—that’s why passing our Good Samaritan bill out of committee is a great step forward,” said Rep. Peltola.  

“This bill is a win for Utah. Right now, ‘Good Samaritans’ are not legally able to clean up abandoned hardrock mines, stopping remediation efforts before they even begin. Passage of this bill was the necessary next step towards allowing the cleanup of thousands of abandoned hardrock mine sites scattered across Utah and the West without the threat of taking on liability from the EPA. I will continue working with my House colleagues to make sure we get it across the finish line,”said Rep. Maloy.

“We appreciate the strong leadership of Representatives Peltola and Maloy on this important issue.  Western Governors have supported legal protections for Good Samaritans since at least 1995,” said Jack Waldorf, the Executive Director of the Western Governors’ Association.  “This bipartisan and bicameral legislation will pave the way for a comprehensive mechanism to address thousands of hazardous abandoned mine sites throughout the West and across the country.  We are pleased to see the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee move this bill forward and encourage the remaining Committees to do the same to expedite its consideration by the full House.” 

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 for an abandoned mine – true “Good Samaritans” – want to volunteer to remediate some of these sites. Unfortunately, liability rules would leave them 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.  

Peltola’s 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 that will improve water and soil quality or otherwise protect human health. 

The Good Samaritan Remediation of Abandoned Hardrock Mines Act has garnered widespread support from organizations, including American Exploration and Mining Association, Backcountry Hunters & Anglers, Congressional Sportsmen’s Foundation, Ecoflight, Fly Fishers International, Izaak Walton League of America, National Deer Association, National Mining Association, National Wildlife Federation, Property and Environment Research Center, Regeneration, Rivian, Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership, and Trout Unlimited.

Full text of the legislation can be found here. Senators Martin Heinrich (D-NM) and Jim Risch (R-ID) reintroduced a companion piece of legislation in the Senate.

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