In the U.S. Senate passed the Good Samaritan Remediation of Abandoned Hardrock Mines Act which will make it easier for state agencies and nonprofits to conduct cleanups and improve water quality.

In September, the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee has passed the bipartisan Good Samaritan Remediation of Abandoned Hardrock Mines Act by unanimous consent. The bill will establish a pilot program under the U.S. 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.
The Government Accountability Office said there are at least 30,000 abandoned hard rock mines in the United States that pose an environmental risk.

The American Exploration & Mining Association's (AEMA) Executive Director, Mark Compton said of the passage of the bill, "AEMA celebrates today’s passage of the bipartisan Good Samaritan Remediation of Abandoned Hard Rock Mines Act, the culmination of nearly three decades of work by a broad range of stakeholders. Our members are proud to collaborate with the conservation community, states, and the federal government to address the cleanup of historic, pre-regulation sites. This pilot project program provides an opportunity to demonstrate that the process can work so we can progress to a broader Good Sam bill in the near future. I’d like to congratulate and thank Senators Risch and Heinrich, and Representatives Maloy and Peltola for their leadership, and all the bipartisan cosponsors for getting this important legislation across the finish line."

The National Mining Association also celebrated the passage of the bill.

“Today’s passage of bipartisan and bicameral Good Samaritan legislation out of the House of Representatives was the final step in securing a key solution to tackle the long-overdue cleanup of legacy abandoned mine sites,” said Rich Nolan, NMA president and CEO. “This bill, which passed the Senate unanimously, has been more than a decade in the making and will encourage the involvement of mining companies, conservation groups and local stakeholders in abandoned mine cleanup without fear of incurring additional legal liability. I look forward to the President signing this bipartisan bill into law allowing for responsible, much-needed land and water remediation efforts.”

This bill promotes the remediation of abandoned hardrock mine sites by Good Samaritans and requires the EPA to establish a Good Samaritan pilot program. Under the program, the EPA may issue certain permits to allow Good Samaritans to remediate historic mine residue at abandoned hardrock mine sites to protect human health and the environment without being subject to enforcement or liability under specified environmental laws for past, present, or future releases, threats of releases, or discharges of hazardous substances or other contaminants at or from the abandoned mine site. EPA may only grant permits for projects that meet certain requirements. The bill terminates the program after seven years.
The bill also outlines requirements for reviewing Good Samaritan permits under the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969.

In addition, the bill establishes a Good Samaritan Mine Remediation Fund for land management agencies that authorize Good Samaritans to conduct remediation projects on federal land.