I 
118TH CONGRESS 
2D SESSION H. R. 10023 
To establish within the Office of Land and Emergency Management of the 
Environmental Protection Agency the Office of Mountains, Deserts, and 
Plains, and for other purposes. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
OCTOBER 22, 2024 
Mr. CRANE introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee 
on Energy and Commerce, and in addition to the Committee on Trans-
portation and Infrastructure, for a period to be subsequently determined 
by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall 
within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned 
A BILL 
To establish within the Office of Land and Emergency Man-
agement of the Environmental Protection Agency the 
Office of Mountains, Deserts, and Plains, and for other 
purposes. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Legacy Mine Cleanup 
Act of 2024’’. 
SEC. 2. OFFICE OF MOUNTAINS, DESERTS, AND PLAINS. 
(a) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 
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(1) ADMINISTRATOR.—The term ‘‘Adminis-
trator’’ means the Administrator of the Environ-
mental Protection Agency. 
(2) 
APPROPRIATE
COMMITTEES
OF
CON-
GRESS.—The term ‘‘appropriate committees of Con-
gress’’ means— 
(A) the Committee on Appropriations of 
the Senate; 
(B) the Committee on Energy and Natural 
Resources of the Senate; 
(C) the Committee on Environment and 
Public Works of the Senate; 
(D) the Committee on Health, Education, 
Labor, and Pensions of the Senate; 
(E) the Committee on Indian Affairs of the 
Senate; 
(F) the Committee on Appropriations of 
the House of Representatives; 
(G) the Committee on Energy and Com-
merce of the House of Representatives; 
(H) the Committee on Transportation and 
Infrastructure of the House of Representatives; 
(I) the Committee on Natural Resources of 
the House of Representatives; and 
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(J) the Committee on Oversight and Ac-
countability of the House of Representatives. 
(3) COVERED MINE SITE.—The term ‘‘covered 
mine site’’ means the land, water, and surrounding 
watersheds where extraction, beneficiation, or proc-
essing of hardrock ores or minerals occurred, but 
has been discontinued, including discontinued tem-
porarily. 
(4) INDIAN COUNTRY.—The term ‘‘Indian coun-
try’’ has the meaning given the term in section 1151 
of title 18, United States Code. 
(5) NAVAJO
NATION
ABANDONED
URANIUM 
MINE SITE.—The term ‘‘Navajo Nation abandoned 
uranium mine site’’ means an abandoned uranium 
covered mine site on land of the Navajo Nation. 
(6) OFFICE.—The term ‘‘Office’’ means the Of-
fice of Mountains, Deserts, and Plains established by 
subsection (b)(1). 
(7) REGIONAL
OFFICE.—The term ‘‘Regional 
Office’’ means a Regional Office of the Environ-
mental Protection Agency. 
(b) ESTABLISHMENT.— 
(1) IN GENERAL.—There is established within 
the Office of Land and Emergency Management of 
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the Environmental Protection Agency the Office of 
Mountains, Deserts, and Plains. 
(2) DIRECTOR.—The Office shall be headed by 
a Director, to be appointed by the Administrator (or 
a designee). 
(c) PURPOSES.—The purposes of the Office shall 
be— 
(1) to coordinate with the headquarters of the 
Environmental Protection Agency, Regional Offices, 
and stakeholders response actions of the Environ-
mental Protection Agency at a covered mine site, in-
cluding a covered mine site in Indian country (as de-
fined in section 1151 of title 18, United States 
Code), in accordance with Federal law; 
(2) to establish and disseminate best practices 
for covered mine site response actions, including 
identifying— 
(A) innovative technologies and reuse ap-
proaches that support and make progress to-
ward those response actions; and 
(B) waste storage and disposal solutions; 
(3) to coordinate with the headquarters of the 
Environmental Protection Agency, Regional Offices, 
Federal land management agencies, States, and vol-
untary nongovernmental organizations, watershed 
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groups, nonliable entities and mining companies, and 
other entities voluntary response actions at covered 
mine sites, where applicable, including timely 
issuance of administrative guidance for nonliable 
parties; 
(4) to coordinate with the headquarters of the 
Environmental Protection Agency and other Federal 
Government entities, pursuant to existing authorities 
under section 3303 of title 41, United States Code, 
hiring practices to support small business concerns 
to carry out response actions at covered mine sites; 
(5) to coordinate with the Secretary of the Inte-
rior, the Secretary of Energy, the Secretary of 
Health and Human Services, the Nuclear Regulatory 
Commission, and other Federal agencies, as the Ad-
ministrator determines to be appropriate, to ensure 
interagency coordination of covered mine site re-
sponse actions, with priority given to coordinating 
response actions at covered mine sites for which 
there is no potentially responsible party; and 
(6) to coordinate other actions as the Adminis-
trator determines to be appropriate, pursuant to ex-
isting authorities of the Administrator— 
(A) to support efforts to investigate, char-
acterize, or clean up a discharge, release, or 
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