| Washington, DC – ConservAmerica applauded the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Work’s (EPW) passage of two important pieces of environmental legislation this morning. With strong bipartisan support, EPW advanced S. 2781, the Good Samaritan Remediation of Abandoned Hardrock Mines Act of 2023 (Good Samaritan), and S.1863, the Providing Reliable, Objective, Verifiable Emissions Intensity and Transparency (PROVE IT) Act of 2023 to the full Senate for consideration.
S. 2781 would direct the Environmental Protection Agency to set up a pilot permitting program that limits liability provisions under the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation and Liability Act’s (CERCLA) Superfund program and the Clean Water Act for third parties seeking to clean up abandoned mine sites. S. 1863 would direct the Department of Energy to conduct a comprehensive study comparing the emissions intensity of certain goods produced in the United States to the emissions of those same goods produced in other countries. “ConservAmerica strongly supports these common sense, bipartisan bills,” said Vice President of Policy Todd Johnston. “A legislative fix to protect Good Samaritans would bolster remediation efforts and provide a powerful incentive for third-party remediation of abandoned mine sites. The PROVE IT Act will provide the data that is needed to quantify the benefits of the United States’ investments in cleaner, more efficient manufacturing practices and a platform to begin to hold other nations accountable for lax environmental standards. We applaud Senators Heinrich (D-NM) and Risch (R-ID) and Senators Coons (D-DE) and Cramer (R-ND) for their work on their respective bills and urge the full Senate to move forward with their consideration.” ConservAmerica has been focused on the Good Samaritan issue for many years and views it as an important component to clean up pollution and provide necessary minerals for our country’s economic growth. ConservAmerica sent a letter to the committee expressing support for S.2781. As noted in the letter, many third parties possess the initiative, resources, and technical ability to clean up watersheds and acid-mine drainage from these legacy mines yet concerns about legal liabilities very often deter them from moving forward with these environmentally friendly projects. Commonly referred to as “Good Samaritans,” these third parties were not responsible for the mine or the environmental damage, but the broad reach of the Clean Water Act and CERCLA makes them potentially responsible for the full breadth of liabilities associated with the mine site – well beyond what they hope to clean-up through voluntary actions. Read the full letter here. In case you missed it, you can also read our Op-Ed on Good Sam here, and learn more about removing barriers to cleaning up abandoned mines by watching our webinar here. ConservAmerica is a nonprofit organization that advocates for market-based solutions to conservation, environmental, and energy challenges. Visit us at ConservAmerica and follow us on Twitter @ConservAmerica and Facebook. CONTACT: [email protected]. |
