Community Reclamation Partnerships Act

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 6233, the Community Reclamation Partnerships Act.

Two centuries of coal mining occurred in the United States before the industry was federally regulated in any meaningful way, including in New Mexico where we have many abandoned wells which litter the countryside.

Before 1977, when the Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act was passed, coal mining was done with little regard for the environment and absolutely minimal reclamation requirements. This history has left us with a massive number of abandoned coal mines across the country that create environmental and public health hazards.

Fortunately, last Congress, Democrats championed and passed over $11 billion to clean up abandoned coal mines. These funds are already being deployed to clean up hazardous sites and to create good jobs.

Even with this massive investment, however, there is much work ahead of us before we solve the abandoned coal mine problem for good though.

That is where the Community Reclamation Partnerships Act fits in. This bill would provide third-party groups, like environmental or wildlife organizations, with the ability to use their own funds to clean up streams and watersheds affected by abandoned coal mines, without assuming unnecessary liability.

I am very thankful for these organizations. Many of them are recognizing the fact that these streams are essential in order to have pristine fishing conditions and other benefits to their surrounding areas.

Under current law, these third parties are required to take on full liability if they want to engage in cleanup projects. These groups often don't have the funds or technical ability to cover cleanup all the way to full remediation. That shouldn't mean they should be stopped from making partial but substantial improvements to the environment for their communities. We can use all the help we can get.

Therefore, this legislation would create ``Good Samaritan'' protections to allow these third-party groups to enter into memorandums of understanding with the State and EPA, with public feedback, to clean up a site without holding the community reclaimer to full liability.

This community reclamation program is only part of the solution to abandoned coal mine lands, but it is a step in the right direction to clean up this legacy pollution.

I am grateful for the bipartisan work on this legislation, and I am glad to see it on the floor today.

Mr. Speaker, I urge support for the bill, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time for closing.

As noted earlier, I stand in support of this legislation and the efforts that will be made under it to have cleanup occur on these coal mines, especially, as noted, Trout Unlimited is so willing to work with local communities. They do great work in New Mexico, and we need to encourage organizations to do that. I thank the sponsor of the bill for working with Trout Unlimited.

Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this legislation, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 6233) to amend the Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act of 1977 to authorize partnerships between States and nongovernmental entities for the purpose of reclaiming and restoring land and water resources adversely affected by coal mining activities before August 3, 1977, and for other purposes.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on H.R. 6233, the bill now under consideration.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 6233, the Community Reclamation Partnerships Act.

H.R. 6233, introduced by Congressman LaHood, would allow States to partner with nongovernmental entities to reclaim and restore land and water resources from abandoned mines.

There are still thousands of abandoned mines in the U.S., deserted before modern regulations required mine owners and operators to adhere to strict environmental standards and implement holistic land restoration when operations cease. Many of these sites pose health risks, safety hazards, and environmental concerns for their surrounding communities.

While fees collected from current mining operations combined with Federal dollars fund States' abandoned mine cleanup efforts, third- party nongovernmental organizations, or NGOs, have volunteered their resources to assist in abandoned mine restoration.

However, should a site deteriorate in the future after an NGO has implemented restoration efforts, that NGO could be liable for the site. H.R. 6233 aims to shield third-party nongovernmental organizations from frivolous litigation.

The Community Reclamation Partnerships Act will expedite abandoned mine reclamation efforts and improve environmental hazards, all without using taxpayer funds.

Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to join me in support of H.R. 6233, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. LaHood), the author of the legislation,

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time for closing.

I urge my colleagues to support H.R. 6233. This commonsense legislation streamlines abandoned mine recovery efforts and provides an alternative pathway to abandoned mine restoration without the use of government funds or the imposition of additional fees on an industry that is operating today with the highest environmental standards.

Further, this bill has bipartisan support and passed unanimously out of the Committee on Natural Resources in December of 2023. As Mr. LaHood mentioned, it previously passed out of committee in the 116th and 117th Congress and was passed by the House in the 115th Congress.

I urge my colleagues to come together again today to support smart, efficient legislation that is good for the taxpayers' bottom line, the environment, our States, and our communities.

I thank Congressman LaHood for his work to bring H.R. 6233 to the floor, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I want to acknowledge Chairman Westerman for his leadership on the Committee on Natural Resources. I am honored to be here today.

I rise today, Mr. Speaker, in strong support of my bill, H.R. 6233, the Community Reclamation Partnerships Act. This legislation, which previously passed the House in the 115th Congress, will help address the complex legal and funding-related challenges for abandoned mines that we have across Illinois and the Nation.

The Community Reclamation Partnerships Act amends the Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act of 1977 to enable States to partner with nongovernmental entities to reclaim

abandoned mine sites and facilitate acid mine drainage cleanup across the country.

Nongovernmental entities, such as Trout Unlimited, have recognized the need for reclamation in coal communities and are willing to contribute their resources and expertise to address this problem.

Unfortunately, liability and regulatory concerns have discouraged them from partnering with the States on reclamation projects. This legislation enables NGO participation in State reclamation programs by minimizing undeserved liability and codifying proven practices established by State reclamation agencies.

This legislation also addresses a frequent problem that States experience in addressing water pollution at abandoned mine land sites. States must choose between risking noncompliance under the Clean Water Act or foregoing acid mine drainage abatement projects altogether.

Some States, for instance, like Pennsylvania, have successfully addressed this problem by establishing their own guidelines for the treatment of water pollution at abandoned mine land sites. These State- specific strategies have resulted in successful water treatment projects and a significant reduction in acid mine drainage.

Currently, State reclamation activities have been funded solely by fees levied on the coal industry over the past four decades. These fees have resulted in the reclamation of approximately $4 billion of abandoned mine land liabilities. However, according to the Department of the Interior and EPA, the estimated remediation costs exceeds $15 billion. The cost of reclaiming these sites will continue to strain State resources in the coming decades, and the condition of these sites will only worsen over time.

In short, this bill empowers State and local community leaders who want to assist in abandoned mine cleanup efforts so that future development can occur in these areas. No group should be punished for wanting to help their community in a responsible way.

H.R. 6233 brings more resources to bear on this considerable challenge. I urge adoption of this bill.