President Joe Biden recently signed a bipartisan bill aimed at cleaning up abandoned mines around the country, including those in Arizona.
Senator Mark Kelly was among three senators who created the “Good Samaritan Remediation of Abandoned Hardrock Mines Act,” which makes it easier to clean up abandoned mines. It passed the U.S. House of Representatives last month. After also passing the Senate, it went on to President Biden’s desk.
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According to the Government Accountability Office, there are at least 140,000 abandoned hard rock mines across the country. An estimated 500 abandoned uranium mines are located on the Navajo Nation.
Experts say the mines pose environmental and health hazards and there have been many individuals and groups that have wanted to take action.
“Unfortunately, liability rules would leave these Good Samaritans legally responsible for all the pre-existing pollution from a mine, even though they had no involvement with the mine prior to cleaning it up,” Kelly’s website states.
“This is going to cut red tape and accelerate the cleanup of abandoned mines in Arizona that pose a threat to the environment and public health, particularly in tribal communities,” said Kelly.
What impact does this have on Arizona?
ABC15's Rachel Louise Just spoke with Steve Trussell, executive director of the Arizona Mining Association and Arizona Rock Products Association.
Arizona has an estimated 40,000-100,000 abandoned mines, according to the state's Department of Environmental Quality, though many are not mapped or marked. The prevalence of abandoned mines in the state has led to serious injuries or even deaths as unsuspecting people can sometimes fall into the mines. The mines can also contaminate the water supply.
