East Idaho Times

U.S. Senators Jim Risch and Martin Heinrich have announced that their Good Samaritan Remediation of Abandoned Hardrock Mines Act has been signed into law by President Joe Biden. This legislation aims to facilitate the cleanup and improvement of water quality around abandoned hardrock mines by allowing "Good Samaritans," such as state agencies, nonprofits, and other groups, to participate in remediation efforts.

Senator Risch stated, “After years of red tape and unnecessary barriers, Good Samaritans willing to clean up long-abandoned mine sites can finally move forward with meaningful remediation. I’m proud to have led the Good Samaritan Remediation of Abandoned Hardrock Mines Act with Senator Heinrich and look forward to the positive impacts this law will have on our land and water in Idaho.”

Senator Heinrich added, “Our Good Samaritan legislation is now the law of the land, after more than 25 years of hard work to get it over the finish line. Good Samaritans will no longer face hurdles preventing them 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 roadblock, and I’d like to thank those who have carried the baton to get us to this point. Now it’s time to get to work to clean up abandoned mines in New Mexico and across the country, making our water cleaner and lands safer.”

According to the U.S. Government Accountability Office, there are hundreds of thousands of abandoned hardrock mine features in the U.S., with at least 33,000 posing environmental hazards. True Good Samaritans—organizations without legal or financial responsibility for an abandoned mine—are interested in volunteering for remediation but face liability issues for pre-existing pollution.

The new act establishes a pilot permitting program that allows not-for-profit cleanup efforts while ensuring that these organizations possess necessary skills and resources under federal oversight. The program targets lower-risk projects aimed at improving water and soil quality or protecting human health.