The Senate approved bipartisan legislation Monday that would help address abandoned mine cleanups.
The chamber cleared an amended version of S. 3858, the “Legacy Mine Cleanup Act,” from Sens. Mark Kelly (D-Ariz.) and Cynthia Lummis (R-Wyo.), by voice vote.
The bill, as passed buy the Environment and Public Works Committee last month, would permanently authorize EPA’s Office of Mountains, Deserts and Plains, which helps coordinate mine cleanups.
“These abandoned mines can often create health and safety risks for nearby communities, but often the federal bureaucracy gets in the way of cleaning them up,” Kelly said during the markup. “This bipartisan legislation seeks to change that.”