Subcommittee on Water Resources to Hold Hearing on Good Samaritan Mine Cleanup Efforts

The House Subcommittee on Water Resources, chaired by Rep. Bob Gibbs (R-OH), will hold a hearing on good samaritans' efforts to clean up abandoned mines on Wednesday. 

The hearing, titled “Abandoned Mines in the United States and Opportunities for Good Samaritan Cleanups,” will cover opportunities and impediments to those efforts, which have so far been limited due to potential liability under current environmental laws. Good samaritan cleanups stand to deeply benefit the country, as past mining activities and abandoned mining sites have left a substantial environmental impact on the country and impact hundreds of thousands of acres.

The witness list includes governmental and private sector officials, including Environmental Protection Agency Office of Solid Waste and Emergency Response Assistant Administrator Mathy Stanislaus, Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection Bureau of Abandoned Mine Reclamation Director Eric Cavazza, Hecla Mining Company Vice President of External Affairs Luke Russell, Keystone Policy Center Senior Policy Director Doug Young, Trout Unlimited President Chris Wood and Earthworks Policy Director Lauren Page.

The hearing will begin at 10 a.m. and will be held in the 2167 Rayburn House Office Building in Washington DC.