Heinrich Secures Biden Administration’s Support To Fund Hardrock Mining Reclamation Program, Highlights Additional Priorities During Key Hearing

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.) has secured a commitment from the Biden administration to support funding for the first-ever abandoned hardrock mining reclamation program that he fought to authorize in the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act.

VIDEO: Heinrich Secures Biden Administration’s Support To Fund Hardrock Mining Reclamation Program [HD DOWNLOAD LINK HERE] 

Senator Heinrich secured the commitment from U.S. Department of Interior Secretary Deb Haaland during an Appropriations subcommittee hearing to review the Fiscal Year 2023 (FY23) President’s Budget for the department.

Hardrock mines and mining features are related to extraction of metals like copper, gold, silver, and uranium. When not reclaimed, many hardrock mines pose a hazard to public health and the environment. Under this new program, funds would be used to clean up federal, state, tribal, or private land and water resources that were used for, or affected by, hardrock mining activities by companies that no longer exist or went bankrupt. 

The FY23 budget request includes $85 million in new funding for hardrock mine clean up.

Senator Heinrich expressed appreciation to Secretary Haaland, saying “I think it's going to break new ground and we’re going to be able to do some really good projects that should have been addressed decades ago, and I look forward to working with you closely on that.”

During the hearing, Senator Heinrich also pointed out that the number of Tribal Historic Preservation Offices (THPO) has grown rapidly over the last couple of decades and funding from the historic preservation fund has not matched the growth. 

Senator Heinrich expressed that, “More than 200 tribes have a historic preservation office, but each THPO receives only about $75,000 right now to support all the work that they do to review projects that impact tribal cultural sites, both on and off tribal land.”

Secretary Haaland voiced support for THPOs and said that the “2023 budget proposes an eight million dollar increase for those offices.”

Senator Heinrich encouraged members of the committee to assess how resources are spread across THPOs and work to find a more sustainable approach that better supports each office. 

Senator Heinrich helped champion the Great American Outdoors Act that fully and permanently funds the Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF). This fund helps preserve many treasured places in New Mexico, increases access to outdoor opportunities, and supports the state’s outdoor recreation economy.

During the hearing, Senator Heinrich conveyed concerns that agency process bottlenecks have delayed LWCF projects. He encouraged Secretary Haaland and the administration to find a path that allows LWCF project appraisal and review processes to be completed in a timeframe that works both for the public, but also for the landowners who engage in these transactions.

Senator Heinrich is also requesting that the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) work with the U.S. Department of Justice to prioritize violent crimes and missing Indigenous persons cases, rather than use BIA resources to enforce federal cannabis laws on reservations where cannabis has already been legalized by a sovereign Tribe.

Find an archived video of the full hearing by clicking here.