Sponsors (2)
The bill boosts federal coordination, transparency, tribal consultation, and local economic opportunities to address abandoned-mine cleanup, but increases federal costs, may shift cleanup priorities, risks jurisdictional/sovereignty conflicts, and lacks new enforcement tools that could limit effectiveness.
Tribal communities and nearby residents (e.g., Navajo Nation areas) receive coordinated federal support and regular consultation for abandoned-mine cleanup and health protections.
Communities gain a published prioritized list of sites and annual reports, increasing transparency about cleanup priorities and progress.
Establishes interagency coordination and funding estimates to better plan and target resources to high-priority sites (including uranium-impacted tribal lands).
The provision does not create new enforcement authority, so federal coordination may not be able to compel cleanup on sites without willing participants, limiting effectiveness.
Prioritizing sites without known responsible parties could shift limited resources away from sites where liable parties exist, delaying some cleanups and remediation outcomes.
Federal involvement in reuse and resource-recovery decisions could create conflicts over land use, economic development, and tribal sovereignty if not carefully managed.
Based on analysis of 2 sections of legislative text.
Creates an EPA Office to coordinate voluntary cleanup, reuse, and best practices for legacy hardrock and uranium mine sites and publish an annual prioritized site list.
Official title: To establish within the Environmental Protection Agency the Office of Mountains, Deserts, and Plains, and for other purposes.
Introduced June 4, 2025 by Eli Crane · Last progress June 4, 2025
Creates a new Office of Mountains, Deserts, and Plains inside the EPA to coordinate voluntary, non-liability cleanups, reuse, and best practices for legacy hardrock and uranium mine sites (including sites in Indian country). The Office will develop cleanup and waste-storage approaches, coordinate among federal, state, tribal, and other partners, publish an annual prioritized list of covered mine sites, and promote reuse and small business contracting while using existing EPA authorities for investigation and remediation. The bill defines covered terms, requires interagency coordination (DOI, USDA, DOE, HHS, NRC, and others), prioritizes sites without potentially responsible parties, and focuses on promoting innovative cleanup, resource recovery, and dissemination of best practices rather than creating new liability rules or dedicated appropriations.