Establishes the Office of Mountains, Deserts, and Plains within the Office of Land and Emergency Management of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
The Office will be headed by a Director appointed by the EPA Administrator.
Aims to coordinate response actions at covered mine sites, including those in Indian country.
Responsibilities include:
Establishing best practices for response actions at covered mine sites.
Coordinating with various stakeholders, including federal agencies, states, and non-governmental organizations.
Supporting small business involvement in response actions.
Ensuring interagency coordination for sites without a responsible party.
Investigating and cleaning up hazardous substances at covered mine sites.
The Administrator must annually identify and prioritize covered mine sites for response actions and report to Congress.
The Office will identify best practices for site assessments and remedial investigations.
Requires the development of a 10-year interagency plan for addressing uranium contamination at Navajo Nation abandoned uranium mine sites, with regular reporting to Congress.
Provides technical assistance to states, local governments, and tribes regarding response actions at covered mine sites.
Clarifies that no new regulatory authority is granted to the Administrator beyond existing laws.
