Sponsor
Jeff Hurd
Representative · R-CO
Representative · R-CO
The bill provides a targeted, expedited federal compensation process that helps many directly harmed by the Gold King Mine spill recover documented economic losses while capping and tightly constraining payouts, excluding certain damages and claimants, limiting legal remedies, and making budgetary choices that affect taxpayers and fiscal transparency.
Homeowners, farmers, livestock grazers, and small recreation and other small businesses affected by the Gold King Mine spill can recover documented economic losses and lost business income for specified periods through a federal claims process.
The bill creates clearer, faster claims procedures — tying eligibility to FTCA claims filed by Aug 5, 2017, offering three procedural routes (administrative claim, FTCA, or civil action), and requiring administrative decisions within 180 days — reducing uncertainty and speeding relief for claimants.
Taxpayers benefit from a capped maximum federal payment ($3.3 million), which limits the government's fiscal exposure for these claims.
Accepting an administrative payment is final and releases all related claims against the United States, preventing claimants from later seeking additional recovery for the same harms.
Payments exclude CERCLA response costs, emotional distress, interest, and punitive damages and are limited to the amounts originally claimed, which reduces total recoveries and prevents recovery of cleanup costs and non‑economic harms.
Designating the appropriation as an emergency and using 'Treasury not otherwise appropriated' bypasses ordinary budget processes, may divert unallocated Treasury balances, and can increase deficits or crowd out other priorities, reducing fiscal transparency.
Based on analysis of 4 sections of legislative text.
Requires EPA to settle eligible Gold King Mine spill claims and provides up to $3.3M in emergency funds to pay approved claims.
Official title: To authorize compensation to individuals, organizations, and companies impacted by the Gold King Mine wastewater spill of 2015, and for other purposes.
Introduced February 13, 2025 by Jeff Hurd · Last progress February 13, 2025
Directs the EPA Administrator to review, determine, and settle eligible Federal Tort Claims Act claims from homeowners, farmers, livestock grazers, and certain businesses harmed by the August 5, 2015 Gold King Mine spill and related Bonita Peak Mining District contamination. It defines who is eligible, what categories of damages qualify, sets procedures and timelines for administrative determinations and judicial review, and provides up to $3.3 million in emergency funding from the Treasury to pay approved claims.