Daines, Tester support ‘good samaritan’ mine cleanups

With names like “One Dead Digger, “Hog Heaven” and “Blue Moon Pit,” at least 600 abandoned or inactive mine sites pepper Flathead, Lake, Sanders and Lincoln counties, according to Montana’s Bureau of Mines and Geology.

Now, under a proposed program for 15 pilot permits nationwide, U.S. Sens. Jon Tester and Steve Daines want to make it easier for “good samaritan” nonprofits to clean up such sites.

The Montanan Democrat and Republican, respectively, have signed onto a bipartisan congressional effort led by Sen. Martin Heinrich, D-New Mexico, for the proposed “Good Samaritan Remediation of Abandoned Hardrock Mines Act of 2022.”

It currently stands for initial review by the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works.

The act would streamline nonprofit efforts to clean up water and mine residue from certain abandoned or inactive hardrock extraction sites, the senators said in a joint statement.

Shielded from liability, the cleanup efforts would be allowed initially under a pilot program allowing up to 15 good samaritan permits nationwide to remediate mine residue from ore and mineral extractions other than coal, according to the proposed act.

“Cutting burdensome red tape and shielding good samaritan organizations from liability will increase the pace and scale of reclamation and in turn, support rural Montana communities, create jobs and restore and enhance our environment,” Daines said in the statement.

Tester highlighted the effects of “irresponsible” mining outfits that harm an otherwise pristine Montana.

“Montana has a long rich history of hardrock mining, but all too often, abandoned mines are left untreated and aren’t reclaimed,” he said.

“Cutting red tape on the remediation of these mines will ensure that Montana remains the Last Best Place — keeping our outdoor economy strong, and creating good paying jobs in the process,” Tester said.

The act excludes mines that are temporarily shutdown, remain in the president’s National Priorities List or are otherwise subject to planned or ongoing response efforts.

Among other technicalities laid out by the 59-page bill, those working under a pilot permit could not be a past or current owner of an abandoned or inactive site or portion of it, and they could not have played a role in creating mine residue to be remedied.

Reporter John McLaughlin could be reached at 758-4439 or jmclaughlin@dailyinterlake.com