Press Releases

Today, the U.S. House of Representatives passed the bipartisan Good Samaritan Remediation of Abandoned Hardrock Mines Act, introduced by Reps. Celeste Maloy (R-UT) and Mary Sattler Peltola (D-AK). This bill 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.

Full text of the legislation can be found here.

"This legislation has been decades in the making,” said Rep. Maloy. “I'm grateful for the bipartisan support of my colleagues and the many stakeholders across the country who helped us achieve this milestone. With my bill in place, state agencies, non-profits, mining companies and other volunteers can clean up abandoned mines without being held liable by the EPA or undergoing extensive permitting requirements. Thanks to this bill, Utahns will have the freedom to make their state a safer and cleaner place."

“Despite having no legal or financial responsibility to do so, state agencies, non-profits, and advocates are eager to contribute to abandoned hardrock mine cleanup efforts,” said Rep. Peltola. “But, right now, 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 is huge for mine cleanup throughout Alaska!”

“Abandoned hardrock mines in Nevada and across the country are poisoning our waters, threatening tribal lands, and their hazardous landscapes have injured and killed Americans. For 25 years, Good Sam bills — which would clean up these mines — have stalled because of Washington politics. Today, Republicans and Democrats made history by finally empowering Good Samaritan organizations that are willing and able to assist this long overdue clean up,” said Rep. Susie Lee (NV-03). “Because of commonsense bipartisanship, our nation is now on a path to cleaner waters and safer landscapes."

"I appreciate Congresswoman Maloy's leadership and work on this commonsense legislation. She has been a strong advocate in the House of Representatives for this effort to speed up the cleanup of abandoned hardrock mines by allowing state agencies, local governments, nonprofits, and mining companies to act as Good Samaritans without the threat of a frivolous lawsuit under certain environmental laws," said Chairman Graves.

This legislation has the support of 31 cosponsors.

Senators Martin Heinrich (D-NM) and Jim Risch (R-ID) reintroduced a companion piece of legislation in the Senate which passed earlier this year.

“I introduced the Good Samaritan Remediation of Abandoned Hardrock Mines Act with Senator Heinrich to remove unnecessary barriers to clean up long-abandoned mine sites in Idaho and across the United States. This work is long overdue. I am pleased to see our bill pass the House of Representatives with resounding bipartisan support and look forward to its swift signing into law,” said Sen. Risch.  

“For more than 25 years, Good Samaritans have tried to clean up abandoned mines but have faced significant hurdles and liability rules that hold them responsible for all the pre-existing pollution from a mine — despite having no involvement with the mines before their cleanup efforts. With today’s passage, we’ve now cleared one of the final hurdles preventing these groups from helping to protect the land, water, fish, and wildlife our communities rely on. This victory belongs to every single person who rolled up their sleeves to fix this longstanding injustice, and I’d like to thank those who have carried the baton to get us to this point. I am grateful for President Biden’s support of the bill, and his signature will allow Good Samaritans to get to work,” said Sen. Heinrich.

Statements of Support for the Good Samaritan Remediation of Abandoned Hardrock Mines Act:

“This is a victory for common sense. Abandoned mines represent one of the most pervasive and least addressed water quality problems in the nation. Passage of Good Samaritan legislation will help those that had nothing to do with the creation of the pollution to clean it up for the benefit of downstream communities. We thank Representatives Maloy, Peltola, and Lee for their amazing leadership in seeing this across the finish line,” said Chris Wood, President and CEO of Trout Unlimited.

“This important legislation has been years in the making and represents a major win for Utah’s citizens and the mining industry.  The “Good Sam” bill has finally gotten across the finish line through the leadership of Congresswoman Celeste Maloy, the bill’s lead sponsor in the House of Representatives.  Additionally, the bicameral legislation is co-sponsored by the entire Utah delegation—both in the House and Senate—showing true leadership from our state in advancing common sense solutions that protect the public, taxpayers, and industry,” said Brian Somers, President of the Utah Mining Association.

“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. 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,” said Rich Nolan, President and CEO of the National Mining Association.

“Western Governors have supported the creation of legal protections for Good Samaritans since at least 1995,” Jack Waldorf, the Executive Director of the Western Governors’ Association, said. “Hardrock mine reclamation is vitally important to the health of western communities and ecosystems and the pilot program proposed in the bill would remove one of the main impediments preventing Good Samaritans, such as state agencies, local governments, nonprofit organizations, and industry partners from cleaning up abandoned mine sites. We applaud Rep. Maloy’s efforts in getting this bill across the finish line.”

“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 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,” said Mark Compton, Executive Director of the American Exploration and Mining Association.

“The largest source of pollution on our public lands and waters are abandoned hardrock mine sites with an estimated 40% of western headwaters impacted by mine tailings and runoff. We applaud the passage of the Good Samaritan Remediation of Abandoned Hardrock Mines Act by the House of Representatives and share our thanks with Reps. Celeste Maloy and Mary Peltola for their bipartisan leadership on this commonsense legislation that will address the legacy of abandoned mine waste. Once signed into law, this legislation will improve water quality and landscape health, necessary for hunters and anglers to pursue our outdoor traditions in a natural setting,” said Kaden McArthur Government Relations Manager for Backcountry Hunters & Anglers.