Description

The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) and its partners mitigate hazards to protect public health and safety and the environment, and restore watersheds for resources, recreation, fish, wildlife and domestic animals, and manage air quality for the protection of public health and sensitive ecosystems, and return lands to productive uses including, but not limited to, recreation, fish and wildlife habitat, and preservation of historical/cultural resources. Extractive industry activities of the past, including underground and surface mining and releases of hazardous substances from degraded watersheds and air-sheds on public lands throughout New Mexico, have contributed to degradation of natural resources. Unrestored sites may pose a threat to wildlife, biota, groundwater, surface water, and soil as well as to risks to the health and safety of public land users. This program supports projects funded through the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA), Public Law 117-169, Subtitle B- National Resources, Sections 50221, NPS and Public Lands Conservation and Resilience, and 50222, NPS and Public Lands Conservation and Ecosystem Restoration. This program supports projects funded through the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), Sections 50221 Resilience, 50222 Ecosystems Restoration and 50303 DOI.Mitigation measures are implemented through core programs such as: the Abandoned Mine Lands (AML) program, which addresses physical safety hazards and contamination posing risk to human health and/or the environment through remediation and restoration of abandoned hardrock mines, and releases of hazardous substances, and educational outreach about the potential dangers posed to the public and recreation activities.The AML program identifies and inventories abandoned hardrock mines, prioritizes those mines that pose a risk to public safety, human health, and the environment, and seeks funding to address those high risk mine features and sites. Specifically, the AML program addresses physical safety hazards through a variety of closure methods including fencing, signing, back filling, installation of bat-friendly grates, etc., and addresses risks to human health and the environment through a variety of removal and remedial response actions. The AML and Natural Resource Damage and Restoration (NRD) programs also work to restore abandoned hardrock mines sites and restore the Nation's watersheds impacted by abandoned mines through a risk-reduction based watershed approach that uses partnerships to effectively leverage funding and facilitate projects; and reduces environmental degradation caused by abandoned mines to ensure compliance with all applicable soil, water, and air quality standards, and applicable Federal, State, Tribal, and local laws and regulations. For the NRD program, and any actions taken pursuant to BLM’s authority under the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation and Liability Act, potentially responsible parties must be investigated.The BLM estimates there are over 130,000 abandoned mine features located on BLM-administered land, many of which will need mitigation to protect human health and the environment, increase public safety and reduce environmental liabilities by eliminating or minimizing risk. In compliance with all applicable soil, water and air quality standards, and Federal State, Tribal and local laws and regulations, the BLM seeks to develop partnerships with States, local governments, Tribal Nations, and voluntary environmental and citizen groups. In addition, BLM seeks to return lands to productive uses including, but not limited to, recreation, fish and wildlife habitat, and preservation of historical/cultural resources. These partnerships will provide financial assistance, through cooperative agreements to protect surface water, groundwater, soil, sediment and air from abandoned mine sites, address releases of hazardous substances, safeguard dangerous mine sites, and restore sites.