A House committee Wednesday approved a host of bipartisan bills, including language that would shield good Samaritan groups from liability when helping clean up abandoned hardrock mines.
But the committee rejected legislation to change how the federal government responds to natural disasters after some tense debate.
The House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee approved by voice vote an amended version of H.R. 7779, the “Good Samaritan Remediation of Abandoned Hardrock Mines Act,” from Republican Rep. Celeste Maloy of Utah and more than 20 bipartisan co-sponsors.
Maloy on Wednesday touted the bill as a pathway for boosting the remediation of tens of thousands of abandoned hardrock mines that litter the West and are polluting nearby waterways.
