House approves slate of Natural Resources Committee bills
The House cleared H.R. 167 the 'Community Reclamation Partnerships Act,' by voice vote. Rep. Darin LaHood (R-Ill.) reintroduced the bill to protect third-party groups from liability for helping clean up abandoned mine sites and water.
LaHood's bill would amend the Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act of 1977 to encourage states and groups to work together to address sites abandoned before the law passed. The Senate didn't take up a similar proposal last Congress.
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The House also approved Wyoming Republican Rep. Harriet Hageman's H.R. 677, the 'Expedited Appeals Review Act,' by voice vote. The bill would allow entities with cases before Interior's Board of Land Appeals to demand an expedited review if their case isn't resolved within 18 months.
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