The Legacy Mine Cleanup Act of 2025 creates a new Office of Mountains, Deserts, and Plains within the Environmental Protection Agency to coordinate cleanup efforts at abandoned mine sites across federal, state, tribal, and private lands. The office will focus on sites contaminated by past hardrock mining activities, with special attention to uranium mine sites on Navajo Nation lands. Key responsibilities include creating an annual priority list of mine sites needing cleanup, developing best practices for remediation, coordinating between EPA regional offices and other federal agencies, and providing technical assistance to states, tribes, and local governments. The bill requires the EPA to develop a 10-year interagency plan for cleaning up Navajo Nation uranium sites by September 2028, with updates every 10 years thereafter. The legislation does not provide new regulatory authority or funding but reorganizes existing EPA programs to improve coordination and efficiency in addressing legacy mining contamination.
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