SEC. 4. ABANDONED HARDROCK MINE SITE GOOD SAMARI-
TAN PILOT PROJECT AUTHORIZATION. 
(a) ESTABLISHMENT.— 
(1) IN GENERAL.—The Administrator shall es-
tablish a pilot program under which the Adminis-
trator shall grant not more than 15 Good Samaritan 
permits to carry out projects to remediate historic 
mine residue at any portions of abandoned hardrock 
mine sites in accordance with this Act. 
(2) OVERSIGHT
OF
PERMITS.—The Adminis-
trator may oversee a remediation project under para-
graph (1), and any action taken by the applicable 
Good Samaritan or any cooperating person under the 
applicable Good Samaritan permit, for the duration 
of the Good Samaritan permit, as the Administrator 
determines to be necessary to review the status of the 
project. 
(3) SUNSET.— 
(A) IN GENERAL.—Except as provided in 
subparagraph (B), the pilot program described 
in paragraph (1) shall terminate on the date 
that is 7 years after the date of enactment of this 
Act. 
(B) 
EXCEPTION.—Notwithstanding 
sub-
paragraph (A), the Administrator may grant a 
Good Samaritan permit pursuant to this Act 
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after the date identified in subparagraph (A) if 
the application for the Good Samaritan per-
mit— 
(i) was submitted not later than 180 
days before that date; and 
(ii) was completed in accordance with 
subsection (c) by not later than 7 years 
after the date of enactment of this Act. 
(C) EFFECT
ON
CERTAIN
PERMITS.—Any 
Good Samaritan permit granted by the deadline 
prescribed in subparagraph (A) or (B), as appli-
cable, that is in effect on the date that is 7 years 
after the date of enactment of this Act shall re-
main in effect after that date in accordance 
with— 
(i) the terms and conditions of the 
Good Samaritan permit; and 
(ii) this Act. 
(b) GOOD SAMARITAN PERMIT ELIGIBILITY.— 
(1) IN
GENERAL.—To be eligible to receive a 
Good Samaritan permit to carry out a project to re-
mediate an abandoned hardrock mine site, a person 
shall demonstrate that, as determined by the Admin-
istrator— 
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(A) the abandoned hardrock mine site that 
is the subject of the application for a Good Sa-
maritan permit is located in the United States; 
(B) the purpose of the proposed project is 
the remediation at that abandoned hardrock 
mine site of historic mine residue; 
(C) the proposed activities are designed to 
result in the partial or complete remediation of 
historic mine residue at the abandoned hardrock 
mine site within the term of the Good Samaritan 
permit; 
(D) the proposed project poses a low risk to 
the environment, as determined by the Adminis-
trator; 
(E) to the satisfaction of the Administrator, 
the person— 
(i) possesses, or has the ability to se-
cure, the financial and other resources nec-
essary— 
(I) to complete the permitted 
work, as determined by the Adminis-
trator; and 
(II) to address any contingencies 
identified in the Good Samaritan per-
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mit application described in subsection 
(c); 
(ii) possesses the proper and appro-
priate experience and capacity to complete 
the permitted work; and 
(iii) will complete the permitted work; 
and 
(F) the person is a Good Samaritan with 
respect to the historic mine residue proposed to 
be covered by the Good Samaritan permit. 
(2) IDENTIFICATION OF ALL RESPONSIBLE OWN-
ERS OR OPERATORS.— 
(A) IN GENERAL.—A Good Samaritan shall 
make reasonable and diligent efforts to identify, 
from a review of publicly available information 
in land records or on internet websites of Fed-
eral, State, and local regulatory authorities, all 
responsible owners or operators of an abandoned 
hardrock mine site proposed to be remediated by 
the Good Samaritan under this section. 
(B) EXISTING RESPONSIBLE OWNER OR OP-
ERATOR.—If 
the 
Administrator 
determines, 
based on information provided by a Good Sa-
maritan or otherwise, that a responsible owner 
or operator exists for an abandoned hardrock 
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mine site proposed to be remediated by the Good 
Samaritan, the Administrator shall deny the ap-
plication for a Good Samaritan permit. 
(c) APPLICATION FOR PERMITS.—To obtain a Good 
Samaritan permit, a person shall submit to the Adminis-
trator an application, signed by the person and any cooper-
ating person, that provides, to the extent known or reason-
ably discoverable by the person on the date on which the 
application is submitted— 
(1) a description of the abandoned hardrock 
mine site (including the boundaries of the abandoned 
hardrock mine site) proposed to be covered by the 
Good Samaritan permit; 
(2) a description of all parties proposed to be in-
volved in the remediation project, including any co-
operating person and each member of an applicable 
corporation, association, partnership, consortium, 
joint venture, commercial entity, or nonprofit associa-
tion; 
(3) evidence that the person has or will acquire 
all legal rights or the authority necessary to enter the 
relevant abandoned hardrock mine site and perform 
the remediation described in the application; 
(4) a detailed description of the historic mine 
residue to be remediated; 
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(5) a detailed description of the expertise and ex-
perience of the person and the resources available to 
the person to successfully implement and complete the 
remediation plan under paragraph (7); 
(6) to the satisfaction of the Administrator and 
subject to subsection (d), a description of the baseline 
conditions caused by the historic mine residue to be 
remediated that includes— 
(A) the nature and extent of any adverse 
impact on the water quality of any body of 
water caused by the drainage of historic mine 
residue or other discharges from the abandoned 
hardrock mine site; 
(B) the flow rate and concentration of any 
drainage of historic mine residue or other dis-
charge from the abandoned hardrock mine site in 
any body of water that has resulted in an ad-
verse impact described in subparagraph (A); and 
(C) any other release or threat of release of 
historic mine residue that has resulted in an ad-
verse impact to human health or the environ-
ment; 
(7) subject to subsection (d), a remediation plan 
for the abandoned hardrock mine site that describes— 
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charge, or threat of release to water, 
sediment, or soil); and 
(ii) otherwise necessary to carry out an 
activity described in subclause (I) or (II) of 
clause (i); 
(C) a plan describing the monitoring or 
other forms of assessment that will be undertaken 
by the person to evaluate the success of the ac-
tivities described in subparagraph (A) during 
and after the remediation, with respect to the 
baseline conditions, as described in paragraph 
(6); 
(D) to the satisfaction of the Administrator, 
detailed engineering plans for the project; 
(E) detailed plans for any proposed recy-
cling or reprocessing of historic mine residue to 
be conducted by the person (including a descrip-
tion of how all proposed recycling or reprocess-
ing activities contribute to the remediation of the 
abandoned hardrock mine site); and 
(F) identification of any proposed con-
tractor that will perform any remediation activ-
ity; 
(8) subject to subsection (d), a schedule for the 
work to be carried out under the project, including a 
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schedule for periodic reporting by the person on the 
remediation of the abandoned hardrock mine site; 
(9) a health and safety plan that is specifically 
designed for mining remediation work; 
(10) a specific contingency plan that— 
(A) includes provisions on response and no-
tification to Federal, State, Tribal, and local au-
thorities with jurisdiction over downstream 
waters that have the potential to be impacted by 
an unplanned release or discharge of hazardous 
substances, pollutants, or contaminants; and 
(B) is designed to respond to unplanned ad-
verse events (such as adverse weather events or a 
potential fluid release that may result from ad-
dressing pooled water or hydraulic pressure situ-
ations), including the sudden release of historic 
mine residue; 
(11) subject to subsection (d), a project budget 
and description of financial resources that dem-
onstrate that the permitted work, including any oper-
ation and maintenance, will be completed; 
(12) subject to subsection (d), information dem-
onstrating that the applicant has the financial re-
sources to carry out the remediation (including any 
long-term monitoring that may be required by the 
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Good Samaritan permit) or the ability to secure an 
appropriate third-party financial assurance, as deter-
mined by the Administrator, to ensure completion of 
the permitted work, including any long-term oper-
ations and maintenance of remediation activities that 
may be— 
(A) proposed in the application for the 
Good Samaritan permit; or 
(B) required by the Administrator as a con-
dition of granting the permit; 
(13) subject to subsection (d), a detailed plan for 
any required operation and maintenance of any re-
mediation, including a timeline, if necessary; 
(14) subject to subsection (d), a description of 
any planned post-remediation monitoring, if nec-
essary; and 
(15) subject to subsection (d), any other appro-
priate information, as determined by the Adminis-
trator or the applicant. 
(d) INVESTIGATIVE SAMPLING.— 
(1) INVESTIGATIVE
SAMPLING
PERMITS.—The 
Administrator may grant an investigative sampling 
permit for a period determined by the Administrator 
to authorize a Good Samaritan to conduct investiga-
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tive sampling of historic mine residue, soil, sediment, 
or water to determine— 
(A) baseline conditions; and 
(B) whether the Good Samaritan— 
(i) is willing to perform further reme-
diation to address the historic mine residue; 
and 
(ii) will proceed with a permit conver-
sion under subsection (e)(1). 
(2) NUMBER OF PERMITS.— 
(A) LIMITATION.— Subject to subparagraph 
(B), the Administrator may grant not more than 
15 investigative sampling permits. 
(B) APPLICABILITY
TO
CONVERTED
PER-
MITS.—An investigative sampling permit that is 
not converted to a Good Samaritan permit pur-
suant to paragraph (5) may be eligible for 
reissuance by the Administrator subject to the 
overall total of not more than 15 investigative 
sampling permits allowed at any 1 time de-
scribed in subparagraph (A). 
(3) APPLICATION.—If a Good Samaritan pro-
poses to conduct investigative sampling, the Good Sa-
maritan shall submit to the Administrator an inves-
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tigative sampling permit application that contains, 
to the satisfaction of the Administrator— 
(A) each description required under para-
graphs (1), (2), and (5) of subsection (c); 
(B) to the extent reasonably known to the 
applicant, any previously documented water 
quality data describing conditions at the aban-
doned hardrock mine site; 
(C) the evidence required under subsection 
(c)(3); 
(D) each plan required under paragraphs 
(9) and (10) of subsection (c); and 
(E) a detailed plan of the investigative sam-
pling. 
(4) REQUIREMENTS.— 
(A) IN GENERAL.—If a person submits an 
application that proposes only investigative sam-
pling of historic mine residue, soil, sediment, or 
water that only includes the requirements de-
scribed in paragraph (1), the Administrator may 
grant an investigative sampling permit that au-
thorizes the person only to carry out the plan of 
investigative sampling of historic mine residue, 
soil, sediment, or water, as described in the in-
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vestigative sampling permit application under 
paragraph (3). 
(B) REPROCESSING.—An investigative sam-
pling permit— 
(i) shall not authorize a Good Samari-
tan or cooperating person to conduct any 
reprocessing of material; and 
(ii) may authorize metallurgical test-
ing of historic mine residue to determine 
whether 
reprocessing 
under 
subsection 
(f)(4)(B) is feasible. 
(C) REQUIREMENTS
RELATING
TO
SAM-
PLES.—In conducting investigative sampling of 
historic mine residue, soil, sediment, or water, a 
Good Samaritan shall— 
(i) collect samples that are representa-
tive of the conditions present at the aban-
doned hardrock mine site that is the subject 
of the investigative sampling permit; and 
(ii) retain publicly available records of 
all sampling events for a period of not less 
than 3 years. 
(5) PERMIT CONVERSION.—Not later than 1 year 
after the date on which the investigative sampling 
under the investigative sampling permit concludes, a 
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graph (3)(B), if applicable, as deter-
mined by the Administrator, clause (i) 
shall not apply to the Good Samaritan 
or any cooperating persons. 
(e) INVESTIGATIVE SAMPLING CONVERSION.— 
(1) IN GENERAL.—A person to which an inves-
tigative sampling permit was granted may submit to 
the Administrator an application in accordance with 
paragraph (2) to convert the investigative sampling 
permit into a Good Samaritan permit. 
(2) APPLICATION.— 
(A) INVESTIGATIVE SAMPLING.—An appli-
cation for the conversion of an investigative sam-
pling permit under paragraph (1) shall include 
any requirement described in subsection (c) that 
was not included in full in the application sub-
mitted under subsection (d)(3). 
(B) PUBLIC
NOTICE
AND
COMMENT.—An 
application for permit conversion under this 
paragraph shall be subject to— 
(i) environmental review and public 
comment procedures required by subsection 
(l); and 
(ii) a public hearing, if requested. 
(f) CONTENT OF PERMITS.— 
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(1) IN
GENERAL.—A Good Samaritan permit 
shall contain— 
(A) the information described in subsection 
(c), including any modification required by the 
Administrator; 
(B)(i) a provision that states that the Good 
Samaritan is responsible for securing, for all ac-
tivities authorized under the Good Samaritan 
permit, all authorizations, licenses, and permits 
that are required under applicable law except 
for— 
(I) section 301, 302, 306, 307, 402, or 
404 of the Federal Water Pollution Control 
Act (33 U.S.C. 1311, 1312, 1316, 1317, 
1342, 1344); and 
(II) authorizations, licenses, and per-
mits that would not need to be obtained if 
the remediation was conducted pursuant to 
section 121 of the Comprehensive Environ-
mental Response, Compensation, and Li-
ability Act of 1980 (42 U.S.C. 9621); or 
(ii) in the case of an abandoned hardrock 
mine site in a State that is authorized to imple-
ment State law pursuant to section 402 or 404 
of the Federal Water Pollution Control Act (33 
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U.S.C. 1342, 1344) or on land of an Indian tribe 
that is authorized to implement Tribal law pur-
suant to that section, a provision that states that 
the Good Samaritan is responsible for securing, 
for all activities authorized under the Good Sa-
maritan permit, all authorizations, licenses, and 
permits that are required under applicable law, 
except for— 
(I) the State or Tribal law, as applica-
ble; and 
(II) authorizations, licenses, and per-
mits that would not need to be obtained if 
the remediation was conducted pursuant to 
section 121 of the Comprehensive Environ-
mental Response, Compensation, and Li-
ability Act of 1980 (42 U.S.C. 9621); 
(C) specific public notification require-
ments, including the contact information for all 
appropriate response centers in accordance with 
subsection (o); 
(D) in the case of a project on land owned 
by the United States, a notice that the Good Sa-
maritan permit serves as an agreement for use 
and occupancy of Federal land that is enforce-
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able by the applicable Federal land management 
agency; and 
(E) any other terms and conditions deter-
mined to be appropriate by the Administrator or 
the Federal land management agency, as appli-
cable. 
(2) FORCE MAJEURE.—A Good Samaritan per-
mit may include, at the request of the Good Samari-
tan, a provision that a Good Samaritan may assert 
a claim of force majeure for any violation of the Good 
Samaritan permit caused solely by— 
(A) an act of God; 
(B) an act of war; 
(C) negligence on the part of the United 
States; 
(D) an act or omission of a third party, if 
the Good Samaritan— 
(i) exercises due care with respect to 
the actions of the Good Samaritan under 
the Good Samaritan permit, as determined 
by the Administrator; 
(ii) took precautions against foreseeable 
acts or omissions of the third party, as de-
termined by the Administrator; and 
(iii) uses reasonable efforts— 
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(I) to anticipate any potential 
force majeure; and 
(II) to address the effects of any 
potential force majeure; or 
(E) a public health emergency declared by 
the Federal Government or a global government, 
such as a pandemic or an epidemic. 
(3) MONITORING.— 
(A) IN
GENERAL.—The Good Samaritan 
shall take such actions as the Good Samaritan 
permit requires to ensure appropriate baseline 
conditions monitoring, monitoring during the re-
mediation project, and post-remediation moni-
toring of the environment under paragraphs (7) 
and (14) of subsection (c). 
(B) MULTIPARTY
MONITORING.—The Ad-
ministrator may approve in a Good Samaritan 
permit the monitoring by multiple cooperating 
persons if, as determined by the Administrator— 
(i) the multiparty monitoring will ef-
fectively accomplish the goals of this section; 
and 
(ii) the Good Samaritan remains re-
sponsible for compliance with the terms of 
the Good Samaritan permit. 
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(4) OTHER DEVELOPMENT.— 
(A) NO AUTHORIZATION OF MINING ACTIVI-
TIES.—No 
mineral 
exploration, 
processing, 
beneficiation, or mining shall be— 
(i) authorized by this Act; or 
(ii) covered by any waiver of liability 
provided by this Act from applicable law. 
(B) REPROCESSING
OF
MATERIALS.—A 
Good Samaritan may reprocess materials recov-
ered during the implementation of a remediation 
plan only if— 
(i) the project under the Good Samari-
tan permit is on land owned by the United 
States; 
(ii) the applicable Federal land man-
agement agency has signed a decision docu-
ment under subsection (l)(2)(G) approving 
reprocessing as part of a remediation plan; 
(iii) the proceeds from the sale or use 
of the materials are used— 
(I) to defray the costs of the reme-
diation; and 
(II) to the extent required by the 
Good Samaritan permit, to reimburse 
the Administrator or the head of a 
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Federal land management agency for 
the purpose of carrying out this Act; 
(iv) any remaining proceeds are depos-
ited into the appropriate Good Samaritan 
Mine Remediation Fund established by sec-
tion 5(a); and 
(v) the materials only include historic 
mine residue. 
(C) CONNECTION
WITH
OTHER
ACTIVI-
TIES.—The commingling or association of any 
other discharge of water or historic mine residue 
or any activity, project, or operation conducted 
on or after the date of enactment of this Act with 
any aspect of a project subject to a Good Samar-
itan permit shall not limit or reduce the liability 
of any person associated with the other discharge 
of water or historic mine residue or activity, 
project, or operation. 
(g) ADDITIONAL WORK.—A Good Samaritan permit 
may (subject to subsection (r)(5) in the case of a project 
located on Federal land) allow the Good Samaritan to re-
turn to the abandoned hardrock mine site after the comple-
tion of the remediation to perform operations and mainte-
nance or other work— 
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(1) to ensure the functionality of completed re-
mediation activities at the abandoned hardrock mine 
site; or 
(2) to protect public health and the environment. 
(h) TIMING.—Work authorized under a Good Samari-
tan permit— 
(1) shall commence, as applicable— 
(A) not later than the date that is 18 
months after the date on which the Adminis-
trator granted the Good Samaritan permit, un-
less the Administrator grants an extension under 
subsection (r)(2)(A); or 
(B) if the grant of the Good Samaritan per-
mit is the subject of a petition for judicial re-
view, not later than the date that is 18 months 
after the date on which the judicial review, in-
cluding any appeals, has concluded; and 
(2) shall continue until completed, with tem-
porary suspensions permitted during adverse weather 
or other conditions specified in the Good Samaritan 
permit. 
(i) TRANSFER OF PERMITS.—A Good Samaritan per-
mit may be transferred to another person only if— 
(1) the Administrator determines that the trans-
feree qualifies as a Good Samaritan; 
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(2) the transferee signs, and agrees to be bound 
by the terms of, the permit; 
(3) the Administrator includes in the transferred 
permit any additional conditions necessary to meet 
the goals of this section; and 
(4) in the case of a project under the Good Sa-
maritan permit on land owned by the United States, 
the head of the applicable Federal land management 
agency approves the transfer. 
(j) ROLE OF ADMINISTRATOR AND FEDERAL LAND 
MANAGEMENT AGENCIES.—In carrying out this section— 
(1) the Administrator shall— 
(A) consult with prospective applicants; 
(B) convene, coordinate, and lead the appli-
cation review process; 
(C) maintain all records relating to the 
Good Samaritan permit and the permit process; 
(D) in the case of a proposed project on 
State, Tribal, or private land, provide an oppor-
tunity for cooperating persons and the public to 
participate in the Good Samaritan permit proc-
ess, including— 
(i) carrying out environmental review 
and public comment procedures pursuant to 
subsection (l); and 
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(ii) a public hearing, if requested; and 
(E) enforce and otherwise carry out this sec-
tion; and 
(2) the head of an applicable Federal land man-
agement agency shall— 
(A) in the case of a proposed project on 
land owned by the United States, provide an op-
portunity for cooperating persons and the public 
to participate in the Good Samaritan permit 
process, including— 
(i) carrying out environmental review 
and public comment procedures pursuant to 
subsection (l); and 
(ii) a public hearing, if requested; and 
(B) in coordination with the Administrator, 
enforce Good Samaritan permits issued under 
this section for projects on land owned by the 
United States. 
(k) STATE, LOCAL, AND TRIBAL GOVERNMENTS.—As 
soon as practicable, but not later than 14 days after the 
date on which the Administrator receives an application 
for the remediation of an abandoned hardrock mine site 
under this section that, as determined by the Administrator, 
is complete and meets all applicable requirements of sub-
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section (c), the Administrator shall provide notice and a 
copy of the application to— 
(1) each local government with jurisdiction over 
a drinking water utility, and each Indian tribe with 
reservation or off-reservation treaty rights to land or 
water, located downstream from or otherwise near a 
proposed remediation project that is reasonably an-
ticipated to be impacted by the remediation project or 
a potential release of contaminants from the aban-
doned hardrock mine site, as determined by the Ad-
ministrator; 
(2) each Federal, State, and Tribal agency that 
may have an interest in the application; and 
(3) in the case of an abandoned hardrock mine 
site that is located partially or entirely on land 
owned by the United States, the Federal land man-
agement agency with jurisdiction over that land. 
(l) ENVIRONMENTAL
REVIEW
AND
PUBLIC
COM-
MENT.— 
(1) IN GENERAL.—Before the issuance of a Good 
Samaritan permit to carry out a project for the reme-
diation of an abandoned hardrock mine site, the Ad-
ministrator shall ensure that environmental review 
and public comment procedures are carried out with 
respect to the proposed project. 
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(2) RELATION TO NEPA.— 
(A) MAJOR FEDERAL ACTION.—Subject to 
subparagraph (F), the issuance or modification 
of a Good Samaritan permit by the Adminis-
trator shall be considered a major Federal action 
for purposes of section 102 of the National Envi-
ronmental Policy Act of 1969 (42 U.S.C. 4332). 
(B) LEAD
AGENCY.—The lead agency for 
purposes of an environmental assessment and 
public comment under this subsection shall be— 
(i) in the case of a proposed project on 
land owned by the United States that is 
managed by only 1 Federal land manage-
ment agency, the applicable Federal land 
management agency; 
(ii) in the case of a proposed project 
entirely on State, Tribal, or private land, 
the Administrator; 
(iii) in the case of a proposed project 
partially on land owned by the United 
States and partially on State, Tribal, or 
private land, the applicable Federal land 
management agency; and 
(iv) in the case of a proposed project 
on land owned by the United States that is 
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managed by more than 1 Federal land 
management agency, the Federal land man-
agement agency selected by the Adminis-
trator to be the lead agency, after consulta-
tion with the applicable Federal land man-
agement agencies. 
(C) COORDINATION.—To the maximum ex-
tent practicable, the lead agency described in 
subparagraph (B) shall coordinate procedures 
under the National Environmental Policy Act of 
1969 (42 U.S.C. 4321 et seq.) with State, Tribal, 
and Federal cooperating agencies, as applicable. 
(D) COOPERATING AGENCY.—In the case of 
a proposed project on land owned by the United 
States, the Administrator shall be a cooperating 
agency for purposes of an environmental assess-
ment and public comment under this subsection. 
(E) SINGLE
NEPA
DOCUMENT.—The lead 
agency described in subparagraph (B) may con-
duct a single environmental assessment for— 
(i) the issuance of a Good Samaritan 
permit; 
(ii) any activities authorized by a 
Good Samaritan permit; and 
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(iii) any applicable permits required 
by the Secretary of the Interior or the Sec-
retary of Agriculture. 
(F) NO SIGNIFICANT IMPACT.— 
(i) IN GENERAL.—A Good Samaritan 
permit may only be issued if, after an envi-
ronmental assessment, the head of the lead 
agency issues a finding of no significant 
impact (as defined in section 111 of the Na-
tional Environmental Policy Act of 1969 
(42 U.S.C. 4336e)). 
(ii) SIGNIFICANT IMPACT.—If the head 
of the lead agency is unable to issue a find-
ing of no significant impact (as so defined), 
the head of the lead agency shall not issue 
a Good Samaritan permit for the proposed 
project. 
(G) DECISION DOCUMENT.—An approval or 
denial of a Good Samaritan permit may be 
issued as a single decision document that is 
signed by— 
(i) the Administrator; and 
(ii) in the case of a project on land 
owned by the United States, the head of the 
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applicable Federal land management agen-
cy. 
(H) LIMITATION.—Nothing in this para-
graph exempts the Secretary of Agriculture or 
the Secretary of the Interior, as applicable, from 
any other requirements of section 102 of the Na-
tional Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (42 
U.S.C. 4332). 
(m) PERMIT GRANT.— 
(1) IN GENERAL.—The Administrator may grant 
a Good Samaritan permit to carry out a project for 
the remediation of an abandoned hardrock mine site 
only if— 
(A) the Administrator determines that— 
(i) the person seeking the permit is a 
Good Samaritan; 
(ii) the application described in sub-
section (c) is complete; 
(iii) the project is designed to reme-
diate historic mine residue at the aban-
doned hardrock mine site to protect human 
health and the environment; 
(iv) the proposed project is designed to 
meet all other goals, as determined by the 
Administrator, including any goals set forth 
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in the application for the Good Samaritan 
permit that are accepted by the Adminis-
trator; 
(v) the proposed activities, as com-
pared to the baseline conditions described in 
the permit, will make measurable progress 
toward achieving— 
(I) 
applicable 
water 
quality 
standards; 
(II) improved soil quality; 
(III) improved sediment quality; 
(IV) 
other 
improved 
environ-
mental or safety conditions; or 
(V) reductions in threats to soil, 
sediment, or water quality or other en-
vironmental or safety conditions; 
(vi) the applicant has— 
(I) demonstrated that the appli-
cant has the proper and appropriate 
experience and capacity to complete 
the permitted work; 
(II) demonstrated that the appli-
cant will complete the permitted work; 
(III) the financial and other re-
sources to address any contingencies 
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identified in the Good Samaritan per-
mit application described in sub-
sections (b) and (c); 
(IV) granted access and provided 
the authority to review the records of 
the applicant relevant to compliance 
with the requirements of the Good Sa-
maritan permit; and 
(V) demonstrated, to the satisfac-
tion of the Administrator, that— 
(aa) the applicant has, or 
has access to, the financial re-
sources to complete the project de-
scribed in the Good Samaritan 
permit application, including any 
long-term monitoring and oper-
ations and maintenance that the 
Administrator may require the 
applicant to perform in the Good 
Samaritan permit; or 
(bb) the applicant has estab-
lished a third-party financial as-
surance mechanism, such as a 
corporate guarantee from a parent 
or other corporate affiliate, letter 
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of credit, trust, surety bond, or in-
surance to assure that funds are 
available to complete the per-
mitted work, including for oper-
ations and maintenance and to 
address potential contingencies, 
that— 
(AA) establishes the Ad-
ministrator or the head of the 
Federal 
land 
management 
agency as the beneficiary of 
the third-party financial as-
surance mechanism; and 
(BB) allows the Admin-
istrator to retain and use the 
funds from the financial as-
surance mechanism in the 
event the Good Samaritan 
does not complete the remedi-
ation under the Good Samar-
itan permit; and 
(vii) the project meets the requirements 
of this Act; 
(B) the State or Indian tribe with jurisdic-
tion over land on which the abandoned hardrock 
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