Mary Sattler Peltola

Mr. Speaker, had I been present, I would have voted YEA on Roll Call No. 512, YEA on Roll Call No. 513, and YEA on Roll Call No. 514.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of S. 2781, the Good Samaritan Remediation of Abandoned Hardrock Mines Act of 2024, authored by Senator Heinrich of New Mexico.

This bipartisan bill, also introduced in the House by Representative Maloy and myself, would address the significant environmental challenge posed by tens of thousands of abandoned hardrock mining sites by creating a pathway for Good Samaritan entities to receive the legal assurances they need to move ahead with remediation of historic mine pollution.

I applaud the bipartisan work that has gotten the bill to this point, and I am pleased to see that we are on the cusp of enactment.

The potential harm to the environment and society caused by these abandoned mines is great. Tens of thousands of miles of streams around the Nation are contaminated by acid and metals drained from these abandoned mine sites, and hundreds of thousands of acres of lakes and reservoirs are impacted from runoff from abandoned mines.

The Good Samaritan Remediation of Abandoned Hardrock Mines Act of 2024 would establish a pilot program to allow EPA to issue certain permits to allow remediation of abandoned hardrock mine sites.

The legislation has the support of a range of outdoor conservation groups, including American Rivers, National Parks Conservation Association, National Wildlife Federation, The Nature Conservancy, and Trout Unlimited.

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

Mr. Speaker, I yield 4 minutes to the gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Pallone).

Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentlewoman from Colorado (Ms. DeGette).

Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentlewoman from Nevada (Ms. Lee).

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time to close.

Mr. Speaker, mining is a very interesting field, and a lot of modern mining is very, very environmentally conscious. I think it is noteworthy to recognize that all rock is between zero to six or seven stages of acid rock leaching. All that means is, if acid-leaching rock is crushed, its exposure to water and air becomes a contaminant to fish.

Acid-rock drainage was not very well understood in some of the early mines, and I know that there are a lot of entities that are very interested and have a lot of philanthropic money behind them to put toward remediation and reclamation.

This act provides a reasonable, commonsense approach to ensure that voluntary parties that had nothing to do with the cause of pollution are able to take steps to reduce the environmental health and safety problems associated with abandoned mine sites.

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

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

Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 8692. This bill requires Amtrak's board of directors to hold open meetings, ensures the public is notified of upcoming meetings, and allows the public to observe board meetings.

The bill increases transparency and allows exceptions when certain sensitive financial and contractual obligations are discussed, including contract negotiations with Amtrak's workers.

Transparency is important, and the concept of open board meetings has support from the Rail Passengers Association and the States for Passenger Rail Coalition.

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

Mr. Speaker, this bill will increase transparency of Amtrak decisions as Amtrak uses Federal funding to improve operations, and I urge my colleagues to support this legislation.

Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.