On July 28, WSWC sent two letters on abandoned mines to the Administration and to Congress. The first letter was addressed to Secretary Deb Haaland, Department of the Interior; Secretary Tom Vilsak, Department of Agriculture; and Administrator Michael Regan, EPA. It requested collaboration and coordination of resources, programs, and funding to prioritize sites with environmental and physical hazards, including impaired waters. The second letter was sent to Senators Martin Heinrich (D-NM) and James Risch (R-ID) in support of various provisions of the Good Samaritan Remediation of Abandoned Hardrock Mines Act (S. 2371). It requests that states be protected from cleanup CERCLA liability alongside federal agencies, and recommends a formal state-federal consultation process for pilot projects and an opportunity for states, particularly as co-regulators, to help shape the program selection criteria, with permit issuance, and oversight.
July 2022 WSWC Congressional Letter Re Abandoned Hardrock Mines