This bill creates a pilot program allowing "Good Samaritans"—volunteers with no legal responsibility for pollution, such as nonprofits, states, or companies—to clean up abandoned hardrock mines without becoming liable for pre-existing contamination under federal environmental laws like the Clean Water Act and Superfund law. The EPA can issue up to 15 cleanup permits and 15 investigative sampling permits over a seven-year period to qualified volunteers who demonstrate they have the expertise, funding, and a solid remediation plan to address toxic mine drainage, waste piles, and other hazards at these sites. This mainly affects the tens of thousands of abandoned mines across the country, many in western states, that currently go unremediated because potential cleanup volunteers fear being held liable for contamination they didn't cause. The bill sets up dedicated funds to collect and manage money for these projects, requires environmental review and public comment before permits are granted, and mandates safety plans, contingency plans, and monitoring requirements throughout the cleanup process. Within eight years, the EPA must report to Congress on the program's results, including how many sites were cleaned up, problems encountered, and whether the program should continue.
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