Legacy Mine Cleanup Act of 2025 · Introduced in House (2025-06-04)

SEC. 2. Office of Mountains, Deserts, and Plains

Office of Mountains, Deserts, and Plains

(a) Definitions

In this section:
Definitions
(1) Administrator
- The term Administrator means the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency.
- Administrator
(2) Appropriate committees of Congress
- The term appropriate committees of Congress means—
- Appropriate committees of Congress
(3) Cleanup action
- The term cleanup action means 1 or more actions taken to address contaminated media at a covered mine site pursuant to 1 or more existing authorities of the Administrator, including—
  - the (); 42 U.S.C. 9601 et seq.
  - the Good Samaritan Remediation of Abandoned Hardrock Mines Act of 2024 ( note; ); 30 U.S.C. 1245; Public Law 118–155
  - the Solid Waste Disposal Act (); 42 U.S.C. 6901 et seq.
  - the Federal Water Pollution Control Act (); and 33 U.S.C. 1251 et seq.
  - any other existing authority of the Administrator.
(4) Covered mine site
- The term covered mine site means the land, water, and surrounding watersheds where extraction, beneficiation, or processing of hardrock ores or minerals occurred, but has been discontinued, including discontinued temporarily.
- Covered mine site
(5) Indian country
- The term Indian country has the meaning given the term in section 1151 of title 18, United States Code.
- Indian country
(6) Navajo Nation abandoned uranium mine site
- The term Navajo Nation abandoned uranium mine site means an abandoned uranium covered mine site on land of the Navajo Nation.
- Navajo Nation abandoned uranium mine site
(7) Office
- The term Office means the Office of Mountains, Deserts, and Plains established by subsection (b)(1).
- Office
(8) Regional Office
- The term Regional Office means a Regional Office of the Environmental Protection Agency.
- Regional Office

(b) Establishment

Establishment
(1) In general
- There is established within the office of the Environmental Protection Agency that administers solid waste programs the Office of Mountains, Deserts, and Plains.
- In general
(2) Director
- The Office shall be headed by a Director, to be selected by the Administrator (or a designee).
- Director

The purposes of the Office shall be—
Purposes
- to coordinate between the headquarters of the Environmental Protection Agency, Regional Offices, and stakeholders on cleanup actions of the Environmental Protection Agency at a covered mine site, including a covered mine site in Indian country, in accordance with Federal law;
- to establish and disseminate best practices for covered mine site cleanup actions, including identifying—
  - innovative technologies and reuse approaches that support and make progress toward those cleanup actions; and
  - waste storage and disposal solutions;
- to coordinate among the headquarters of the Environmental Protection Agency, Regional Offices, Federal land management agencies, States, Indian Tribes, and voluntary nongovernmental organizations, watershed groups, nonliable entities and mining companies, and other entities on voluntary cleanup actions at covered mine sites, where applicable, including timely issuance of administrative guidance for nonliable parties;
- to coordinate within the Environmental Protection Agency and with other Federal agencies to encourage contracting opportunities for small businesses to participate in cleanup actions at covered mine sites, consistent with applicable Federal procurement authorities;
- to coordinate with the Secretary of the Interior, the Secretary of Agriculture, the Secretary of Energy, the Secretary of Health and Human Services, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, and other Federal agencies, as the Administrator determines to be appropriate, to ensure interagency coordination of covered mine site cleanup actions, with priority given to coordinating cleanup actions at covered mine sites for which there is no potentially responsible party; and
- to coordinate other actions as the Administrator determines to be appropriate, pursuant to existing authorities of the Administrator—
  - to support efforts to investigate, characterize, or clean up a discharge, release, or threat of release of a hazardous substance, pollutant, or contaminant into the environment at or from a covered mine site; or
  - to establish best practices to protect and improve human health and the environment and implement appropriate reuse options, including through the use of innovative technologies to recover valuable resources from covered mine site features or areas, as applicable.

(d) Duties

The Administrator shall carry out through the Office, at a minimum, the following duties:
Duties
(1) Priority mine list
- Priority mine list
- (A) In general
  - Annually, the Administrator shall identify covered mine sites that are prioritized for cleanup actions, which may include covered mine sites that are or are not included on the National Priorities List developed by the President in accordance with section 105(a)(8)(B) of the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act of 1980 (). 42 U.S.C. 9605(a)(8)(B)
  - In general
- (B) Creation of list; reports
  - The Administrator shall annually—
  - Creation of list; reports
    - (i) create a list of covered mine sites identified under subparagraph (A); and
    - (ii) submit to the appropriate committees of Congress a report describing—
    - the methodology used to identify those covered mine sites under that subparagraph; and
    - the status of cleanup actions carried out at covered mine sites on the list.
- (C) Coordination
  - The Administrator shall—
  - Coordination
    - (i) regularly coordinate with Regional Offices, Federal agencies, States, Indian Tribes, Alaska Native Corporations, and stakeholders to update the list of covered mine sites identified under subparagraph (A); and
    - (ii) regularly coordinate with Regional Offices on cleanup actions and share best practices with respect to each covered mine site identified under subparagraph (A).
(2) Process improvement
- Process improvement
- (A) In general
  - The Administrator shall, pursuant to existing authorities of the Administrator—
  - In general
    - (i) identify best practices for developing, reviewing, and approving site assessments, remedial investigations, and feasibility studies for covered mine sites;
    - (ii) coordinate research relating to technologies and cleanup approaches that are the most successful in limiting the acute and chronic risks posed to human health and the environment by covered mine sites; and
    - (iii) support—
    - government-to-government consultations with Indian Tribes with respect to a covered mine site located within Indian country; and
    - efforts to provide regular updates to the Tribal governments involved in cleanup actions for a covered mine site located on Tribal land under the jurisdiction of the Indian Tribe.
- (B) Tribal consultation
  - In supporting consultations with Indian Tribes under subparagraph (A)(iii)(I), the Administrator, in addition to existing applicable law and guidance, shall—
  - Tribal consultation

(e) Savings provisions

Nothing in this section—
Savings provisions
- provides the Administrator with new regulatory authority not already established in law; or
- shall be interpreted as establishing a default standard or authority to be used for cleanup actions at covered mine sites, including the definition of in subsection (a).

H.R. 3713

Table of contents

SEC. 1. Short title

SEC. 2. Office of Mountains, Deserts, and Plains