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Outdoor industry calls on Congress to pass “Good Samaritan” bill for abandoned mine cleanups
Fishing and angling industry businesses and organizations come together to rally Congress to pass legislation that will require a new pilot program to safe guard against existing streams from past mining abuses. An analysis by Trout Unlimited found that more than 110,000 miles of streams are listed as impaired for heavy metals and/or acidity, and abandoned mines are a major source of these impairments due to acid mine drainage.
From the article by Trout Unlimited:
The Good Samaritan Remediation of Abandoned Hardrock Mines Act would facilitate abandoned mine cleanups that are unlikely to move forward unless Congress acts. Without passage into law, abandoned mines that could otherwise be cleaned up will continue discharging their toxic brew into our rivers and streams.
The coalition noted, “Everything from commercial river recreation to rafting, kayaking, to wildlife viewing, hunting, fishing and more, depends on the cold, clean waters that course through our streams and rivers and fill our wetlands and lakes. Unfortunately, many miles of those waterways are impaired by pollution from abandoned mines.”
More from the story from Paddleway's and NRS:
“Good Samaritan legislation is desperately needed to help address the negative impacts of poor water quality emanating from legacy mining sites throughout the West,” said Mark Deming, Chief Marketing Officer for Northwest River Supply (NRS), an employee-owned company based in Idaho that is the world’s leading manufacturer of paddle sports gear and apparel. “Outdoor recreation businesses like ours rely on healthy public lands and clean rivers to sustain not only the outdoor recreation economy, but also our way of life. With tens of thousands of abandoned mine sites polluting the environment, we need every arrow in the quiver to tackle this massive problem, including Good Samaritan. We urge members of Congress to swiftly to pass this bill into law.”
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