Risch Celebrates First-Ever Permit Issued Under Good Samaritan Mine Cleanup Law

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Jim Risch (R-Idaho) celebrated the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) first-ever permit under the Good Samaritan Remediation of Abandoned Hardrock Mines Pilot Program. The program, established by legislation written by Senator Risch and Senator Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.), makes it easier for state agencies, local governments, nonprofits, and other groups to clean up and improve water quality in and around abandoned hardrock mines. “The first Good Samaritan permit is a momentous occasion, ending decades worth of legal battles that prevented commonsense environmental improvements from taking place at long-abandoned hardrock mines,” said Risch. “Our good faith actors and our Good Sam law give us the tools to finally allow this important work to address water quality issues to move forward in a meaningful way.” The permit allows Trout Unlimited, the first Good Samaritan to receive federal approval under Senator Risch’s Good Samaritan Remediation of Abandoned Hardrock Mines Act , which was signed into law in December 2024, to proceed with the Bodie Mine Project in Okanogan County, Washington.