Good Samaritan remediation of abandoned hardrock mines program in the United States

Authors: Collyard, JS; Hockey, D Download Paper Open access courtesy of:

DOI https://doi.org/10.36487/ACG_repo/2615_123

Cite As:
Collyard, JS & Hockey, D 2026, 'Good Samaritan remediation of abandoned hardrock mines program in the United States', in AB Fourie, G Boggs, J Heyes & M Tibbett (eds), Mine Closure 2026: Proceedings of the 19th International Conference on Mine Closure, Australian Centre for Geomechanics, Perth, pp. 1-13, https://doi.org/10.36487/ACG_repo/2615_123



Abstract:
On 17 December 2024, former president of the United States, Joe Biden, signed into law the Good Samaritan Remediation of Abandoned Hardrock Mines Act of 2024. The bill was co-led by a diverse group including Democratic and Republican senators across the western United States and Alaska, and it received unprecedented bipartisan support from the US Senate. The Act is the result of decades of effort and hard work by: political leadership including the Nevada Division of Minerals, the Colorado Division of Reclamation, Mining and Safety, and the Arizona Department of Environmental Quality; key stakeholders from nongovernment organisations (NGOs) including Trout Unlimited; and industry groups including the Mining and Metallurgical Society of America (MMSA) and the American Exploration & Mining Association (AEMA); all backed by strong local public support. The United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is responsible for administering the Good Samaritan Remediation of Abandoned Hardrock Mines program (Program). The Act promotes the remediation of abandoned hardrock mine sites by good Samaritans, allowing them to apply to obtain investigative and/or remediation permits and implement remediation projects at eligible abandoned hardrock mine sites. The law grants protection from certain liability risks while the good Samaritan is voluntarily implementing the remediation of an abandoned hardrock mine within the terms of their permit. The Act allows for 15 pilot projects to be undertaken in the span of 7 years, with the intent to demonstrate the long-term viability of the Program and allow for unlimited projects to be completed while also allowing the Program to develop a clear pathway through lessons learnt during the pilot Program. With the clock ticking, good Samaritan practitioners and supporters are diligently working towards a shared goal of selecting, implementing and demonstrating the success of the 15 pilot projects. This paper and presentation will introduce the Program, present current Program guidance, and consider the challenges and lessons learnt to date.

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