EPA is moving forward with the nation’s first pilot project that could set a precedent for cleaning up hundreds of abandoned and polluted mine sites across the U.S.
Trout Unlimited’s proposal to clean up land near a historic gold and copper mine in northeastern Washington state is “complete” and complies with a 2024 good Samaritan law, EPA concluded in a preliminary determination that will be published in the Federal Register on Thursday.
EPA will take public comment on the plan through mid-August before deciding whether to approve a permit for the conservation group.
The federal government has been tasked with reviewing more than a dozen pilot projects to clean up millions of former mining sites that pose a danger to the public and environment. EPA’s work stems from the bipartisan law that former President Joe Biden signed in 2024, which calls on the agency to consider 15 cleanup pilot projects. It also allows groups to move forward with remediating sites with limited liability.
