Gold King Mine Spill Recovery Act of 2015
Latest action · Sep 22, 2015 Read twice and referred to the Committee on the Judiciary.
Progress
Where this bill reached, and when. A stage with no date was not reached; one that failed a vote and later carried shows the date it carried.
- IntroducedSep 22, 2015
- Passed SenateNot reached
- Passed HouseNot reached
- To the PresidentNot reached
- Became lawNot reached
Summary
Gold King Mine Spill Recovery Act of 2015
This bill entitles persons to compensation for allowable damages (i.e., property, business, or financial losses) under the Federal Tort Claims Act if they were injured by the spill into Cement Creek from the Gold King Mine near Silverton, Colorado. The spill occurred on August 5, 2015.
The bill establishes an Office of Gold King Mine Spill Claims within the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to process and pay compensation claims.
The EPA must work with affected states and Indian tribes to develop, fund, and implement a long-term monitoring program for water quality of the Animas and San Juan Rivers in response to the spill.
The bill amends the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act of 1980 by requiring certain agencies to work with affected states as well as research universities to: (1) identify the most dangerous abandoned and inactive mines, (2) establish a priority plan for cleaning up those mines, (3) update the plan as new information becomes available, and (4) develop a long-term research initiative. That initiative must evaluate the physical, chemical, and geological attributes of closed, abandoned, and inactive mines and pursue technological developments to aid in the cleanup of those mines.
Prior to carrying out mine remediation activities, agencies must: (1) provide affected tribal, state, and local governments notice of such activities; and (2) develop a spill prevention, control, and countermeasures plan for avoiding and mitigating the impacts of a spill.
Cosponsors 2
Members who signed on, in the order they did. All signed on Sep 22, 2015.
| Seat | Cosponsor | Signed on | |
|---|---|---|---|
| D-NM | Martin Heinrich | Original | Sep 22, 2015 |
| D-CO | Michael F. Bennet | Original | Sep 22, 2015 |
Committees 1
Where it was sent and what each committee and subcommittee did with it, in order.
| Chamber | Committee | What it did |
|---|---|---|
| Senate | Judiciary Committee | Referred Sep 22, 2015 |
Actions 2
Everything that happened, newest first.
- Sep 22, 2015Introduced in Senate
- Sep 22, 2015Read twice and referred to the Committee on the Judiciary.
Research
What has been written about this bill: committee reports, cost estimates, the sponsor’s authority statement, printed hearings and the Congressional Research Service’s work.
Printed hearings 1
Hearings whose printed record names this bill, newest first: hearings on it, and wider hearings where it came up.
| Number | Hearing | Committee | Held |
|---|---|---|---|
| S. Hrg. 114-838 | EXAMINING THE SIGNIFICANT COSTS AND RELATED BURDENS FOR SMALL BUSINESSES RESULTING FROM THE GOLD KING MINE WASTE WATER SPILL NEAR SILVERTON, COLORADO48 pages | Small Business and Entrepreneurship Committee | Oct 1, 2015 |
Related bills 3
Companion bills and other measures the record links to this one.
| Bill | Title | Relationship | Latest action |
|---|---|---|---|
| S 2950 | Gold King ACT | Related bill | May 18, 2016 |
| HR 3602 | Gold King Mine Spill Recovery Act of 2015 | Identical bill | Oct 5, 2015 |
| HR 4483 | Gold King Mine Spill Accountability Act of 2016 | Related bill | Feb 5, 2016 |
Titles 2
Every title it has carried, official and short, at each stage.
- Official Title as Introduced
- A bill to provide compensation to injured persons relating to the Gold King Mine spill, to amend the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act of 1980 to address mining-related issues, and for other purposes.
- Short Titles as Introduced
- Gold King Mine Spill Recovery Act of 2015
Subjects
Assigned by the Library of Congress. Policy area: Environmental Protection.
- Colorado
- Environmental assessment, monitoring, research
- Environmental Protection
- Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
- Executive agency funding and structure
- Federal-Indian relations
- Government liability
- Government studies and investigations
- Hazardous wastes and toxic substances
- Intergovernmental relations
- Lakes and rivers
- Metals
- Mining
- New Mexico
- Pollution liability
- Public contracts and procurement
- State and local government operations
- Utah
- Water quality
- Watersheds
Text 1
Each version as it was printed, newest first.
- Sep 22, 2015Introduced in Senate
Everything here is as published by Congress: the summary is the Congressional Research Service's, the action wording is the clerks', and the subjects are the Library of Congress's. How far it got is read from the actions themselves, taking the most recent one of each kind, so a bill that failed a vote and later passed is shown as having passed. Records come from this bill on Congress.gov and govinfo.gov; cost estimates are the Congressional Budget Office's, and the hearings are the printed hearings GovInfo publishes, which can appear months after the hearing.
