This bill establishes an office within the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to coordinate the EPA’s response actions at abandoned mine sites and establish and disseminate best practices for mine site response actions. The bill specifically addresses the land, water, and surrounding watersheds where extraction, beneficiation, or processing of hardrock ores or minerals occurred but has been discontinued, including temporarily.
The EPA must annually identify abandoned mine sites that are prioritized for response actions by coordinating with EPA regional offices, federal agencies, states, Indian Tribes, Alaska Native Corporations, and stakeholders. The EPA must also regularly coordinate with its regional offices on response actions and share best practices with respect to each site identified for priority response actions.
By September 30, 2027, and every 10 years after, the EPA must cooperate with specified entities (e.g., the Department of Energy) and consult with affected tribal governments to develop a 10-year interagency plan for coordinating response actions at Navajo Nation abandoned uranium mine sites.
