SUBCOMMITTEE ON ENERGY AND MINERAL RESOURCES
1324 Longworth House Office Building
Thursday, July 14, 2011
2:00 p.m.

• Official hearing transcript

OVERSIGHT HEARING ON:

• "Abandoned Mined Lands: Innovative Solutions for Restoring the Environment, Improving Safety and Creating Jobs"

OPENING STATEMENT:

The Honorable Doug Lamborn
Chairman

WITNESSES AND TESTIMONY:

Panel I

The Honorable Joe Heck (R-NV)

Panel II

The Honorable Marcilynn Burke
Deputy Director
Bureau of Land Management

The Honorable Joel Holtrop
Deputy Chief
U.S. Forest Service

Anu Mittal
Director
Natural Resources and Environment
Government Accountability Office

Loretta Pineda
Director, Division of Reclamation, Mining, and Safety
Colorado Department of Natural Resources
And on behalf of the
Interstate Mining compact Commission and the
National Association of Abandoned Mine Land Programs

Laura Skaer
Executive Director
Northwest Mining Association
(Truth in Testimony Form)

Thomas Martin Baker
Safari Club International
(Truth in Testimony Form)

Lauren Pagel
Policy Director
EARTHWORKS
(Truth in Testimony Form)

BACKGROUND:

The hearing will examine current federal and state programs designed to address abandoned mined lands and innovative proposals that would provide Good Samaritans, private industry, non-profit organizations or municipalities, the tools to help cleanup environmental issues. It will also address protecting the public from safety hazards associated with abandoned mine workings and facilities by providing limited liability for existing conditions at the site to be reclaimed or secured.