Kelly, Lummis Bill to Improve Cleanup of Abandoned Hardrock Mines Passes Senate

This week, the Senate unanimously passed Senators Mark Kelly (D-AZ) and Cynthia Lummis’ (R-WY) Legacy Mine Clean Up Act, bipartisan, bicameral legislation that would cut bureaucratic red tape and hold the federal government accountable for better coordinating efforts to clean up abandoned uranium, copper, gold, and other hardrock mines that continue to pose environmental and public health risks. 

“In Arizona, abandoned uranium mines continue to threaten the health of our families, our land, and our water,” said Kelly. “By cutting red tape, strengthening accountability, and improving coordination, we can accelerate cleanups and protect communities, especially tribal nations that have carried this burden for far too long. I’m glad to see this moving forward, and I’m going to keep pushing until these long-overdue cleanups get done.” 

“I am thrilled to see the Legacy Mine Cleanup Act pass the Senate,” said Lummis. “Stewarding land and resources in the west requires a region-specific approach, not the one-size-fits-all bandages Washington is so fond of. Codifying the Office of Mountains, Deserts, and Plains ensures our western landscapes are preserved and our way of life is protected.” 

Specifically, the Legacy Mine Cleanup Act would:  

• Establish OMDP with three primary goals:  

1. Create accountability: Maintain an “emphasis list” of abandoned mine sites to be prioritized for cleanup and regularly report on cleanup progress. Assume responsibility for regularly updating the Interagency Plan to Address Uranium Contamination on the Navajo Nation.  
2. Coordinate stakeholders: Work with EPA regional offices, federal agencies, state and local governments, Good Samaritans, and Tribal nations to promote community engagement, improve interagency coordination, and identify roadblocks to completing cleanups. Provide administrative and technical assistance to state, local, and Tribal stakeholders.  
3. Facilitate cleanups: Identify agency-wide process improvements, research new technologies, and highlight best practices to enable faster cleanups. Work with conservation organizations to facilitate voluntary projects that improve conditions at abandoned mines.  

• Provide dedicated funding to assist Tribal communities with hardrock mine cleanup projects.  
• Cut bureaucratic red tape to allow Tribes to more easily receive assistance in cleaning up abandoned hardrock mines. 

Background: 

The Government Accountability Office estimates there are approximately 140,000 abandoned hardrock mines in the United States, largely in the West. Unsecured mine tunnels, toxic waste piles, and other hazards, known as mine features, are found at abandoned hardrock mines across federal and nonfederal lands. Kelly and Lummis’ legislation would establish the Environmental Protection Agency’s Office of Mountains, Deserts, and Plains (OMDP) to help accelerate cleanup of abandoned mine sites by implementing best practices, improving coordination with state and Tribal partners, and maintaining a list of mine sites prioritized for cleanup. 

The Legacy Mine Cleanup Act builds on Kelly’s broader efforts to accelerate the cleanup of abandoned mines. Last year, Kelly’s Good Samaritan Remediation of Abandoned Hardrock Mines Act, bipartisan, bicameral legislation to cut red tape and make it easier for “Good Samaritans” such as state agencies, nonprofits, and other groups to clean up and improve water quality around abandoned mines, was signed into law. Kelly has also secured funding for cleanup of abandoned uranium mines on the Navajo Nation, championed legislation to support innovative paths to cleanup, and repeatedly raised these issues with administration officials.  

Read the full bill text here.