{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://susielee.house.gov/media/press-releases/passed-congresswoman-lees-bipartisan-bill-clean-toxic-abandoned-hardrock-mines", "PASSED: Congresswoman Lee's Bipartisan Bill to Clean Up Toxic Abandoned Hardrock Mines Passes House with Overwhelming Support", "2024-12-10", "2024", "2024-12", "Democrat", "House", "NV", "Susie Lee", "L000590", "susielee.house.gov", "susielee", "https://susielee.house.gov/media/press-releases", "scraper", "DOWNLOAD VIDEO: Lee\u2019s floor speech ahead of vote\n\nWASHINGTON \u2013 Today, the bipartisan, bicameral Good Samaritan Remediation of Abandoned Hardrock Mines Act, or \u201cGood Sam legislation\u201d led by Congresswoman Susie Lee (NV-03), Congresswoman Celeste Maloy (UT-02) and Congresswoman Mary Peltola (AK-AL), to clean up toxic abandoned hardrock mines passed the House of Representatives with overwhelming support from both parties. Companion legislation that has already passed the Senate on July 31 is being led by Senators Martin Heinrich (D-NM) and Jim Risch (R-ID). This legislation now heads to the White House, where the President is expected to sign it. It is also supported by Nevada Governor Joe Lombardo.\n\nThere are hundreds of thousands of abandoned hardrock mines scattered throughout the country, particularly concentrated in the American West \u2014 with an estimated 300,000 historic mining-related features and sites located in Nevada alone. Many of these sites pose direct risks to human health, the environment, and tribal lands, sending mercury, arsenic, lead and other toxic materials into Western waters and communities in addition to the physical dangers they present.\n\nState and local agencies and non-profit organizations that have no legal or financial responsibility for these abandoned hardrock hazards \u2014 true Good Samaritans \u2014 actively want to volunteer to clean up some of these sites, but they currently risk incurring the same liability that would have applied to the original and often long-defunct polluters who can no longer be held to account. To date, this has deterred would-be Good Samaritans from moving ahead with cleanup efforts.\n\nThis Good Sam legislation will create a new, carefully crafted pilot program administered by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) for qualified Good Samaritans to begin remediating up to 15 low-risk abandoned hardrock mine sites \u2014 while preserving a backstop of Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA) and Clean Water Act enforcement.\n\n\u201cAbandoned 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 \u2014 which would clean up these mines \u2014 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,\u201d said Congresswoman Susie Lee (NV-03). \u201cBecause of commonsense bipartisanship, our nation is now on a path to cleaner waters and safer landscapes.\u201d\n\n\u201cThe State of Nevada applauds the passage of the Good Samaritan Remediation of Abandoned Hardrock Mines Act of 2024 today,\u201d said Nevada Governor Joe Lombardo. \u201cThis legislation will ensure significant progress in our efforts to clean up abandoned mines in Nevada and across the United States. I was proud to voice my support for this bill, and I\u2019m deeply grateful to our entire federal delegation who worked tirelessly on this bipartisan initiative that will benefit of our state and country.\u201d\n\nThe Biden Administration has already communicated its support for the bill to Congress, emphasizing that cleaning up America\u2019s abandoned hardrock mines \u201cwill require investments and support beyond the federal government.\u201d The pilot program established by the bill, administration officials have added, will allow \u201cthe federal government to learn lessons on how to best permit and manage remediation of these sites going forward.\u201d\n\n\u201cFor 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 \u2014 despite having no involvement with the mines before their cleanup efforts. With today\u2019s passage, we\u2019ve 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\u2019d like to thank those who have carried the baton to get us to this point. I am grateful for President Biden\u2019s support of the bill, and his signature will allow Good Samaritans to get to work,\u201d said Senator Martin Heinrich (D-NM).\n\n\u201cI 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,\u201d said Senator Jim Risch (R-ID). \u201cThis 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.\u201d\n\n\u201cDespite 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,\u201d said Congresswoman Mary Peltola (AK-AL). \u201cBut, right now, over-burdensome permitting requirements bar them from doing so. Too often, government red tape prevents good work from getting done \u2014 that\u2019s why passing our Good Samaritan bill is huge for mine cleanup throughout Alaska!\u201d\n\n\"This legislation has been decades in the making,\u201d said Congresswoman Celeste Maloy (UT-02). \u201cI'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.\"\n\nThe Good Samaritan Remediation of Abandoned Hardrock Mines Act is also supported by the National Mining Association, the American Exploration and Mining Association, American Rivers, American Sportfishing Association, Backcountry Hunters and Anglers, National Parks Conservation Association, National Wildlife Federation, Outdoor Recreation Roundtable, The Conservation Alliance, The Nature Conservancy, Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership, and Trout Unlimited\n\n###", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-07T22:13:55Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["https://susielee.house.gov/media/press-releases/passed-congresswoman-lees-bipartisan-bill-clean-toxic-abandoned-hardrock-mines"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 0.9212191216647625, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}