Bill > S2741

This bill establishes the Office of Mountains, Deserts, and Plains within the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to coordinate and improve cleanup efforts at abandoned mine sites across the United States. The new office will be responsible for creating an annual priority list of mine sites needing cleanup, focusing on federal, state, tribal, local, and private lands affected by past hardrock mining activities. The office will coordinate between EPA headquarters, regional offices, federal agencies, tribes, and other stakeholders to develop best practices for mine site cleanup, support innovative technologies for remediation, and facilitate cleanup actions, with special attention to sites in Indian country and abandoned uranium mines on Navajo Nation lands. The bill specifically requires the office to develop interagency plans for uranium contamination cleanup, provide technical assistance to states and tribes, and help create contracting opportunities for small businesses in cleanup efforts. Importantly, the bill does not grant the EPA new regulatory authority and does not establish default cleanup standards, but instead aims to improve coordination and efficiency in addressing legacy mining contamination across different landscapes and jurisdictions.

Agriculture and Natural Resources

https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/senate-bill/2741/all-info