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Legacy Mine Cleanup Act of 2024
4/22/2024, 1:58 PM
Summary of Bill S 3858
The bill proposes the establishment of a fund to finance the cleanup and remediation of these legacy mines. This fund would be supported by fees imposed on mining companies and would be used to cover the costs of reclaiming and restoring abandoned mine sites.
Additionally, the bill includes provisions for the prioritization of cleanup efforts based on the level of risk posed by each site. It also calls for increased coordination between federal, state, and local agencies to ensure that cleanup efforts are carried out efficiently and effectively. Overall, the Legacy Mine Cleanup Act of 2024 aims to address the environmental and public health hazards posed by abandoned mines while also holding mining companies accountable for their role in creating these hazards. It represents a bipartisan effort to protect communities and the environment from the negative impacts of legacy mining operations.
Congressional Summary of S 3858
Legacy Mine Cleanup Act of 2024
This bill establishes an office within the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to coordinate the EPA’s response actions at abandoned mine sites and establish and disseminate best practices for mine site response actions. The bill specifically addresses the land, water, and surrounding watersheds where extraction, beneficiation, or processing of hardrock ores or minerals occurred but has been discontinued, including temporarily.
The EPA must annually identify abandoned mine sites that are prioritized for response actions by coordinating with EPA regional offices, federal agencies, states, Indian Tribes, Alaska Native Corporations, and stakeholders. The EPA must also regularly coordinate with its regional offices on response actions and share best practices with respect to each site identified for priority response actions.
By September 30, 2027, and every 10 years after, the EPA must cooperate with specified entities (e.g., the Department of Energy) and consult with affected tribal governments to develop a 10-year interagency plan for coordinating response actions at Navajo Nation abandoned uranium mine sites.
