Illustration: Shoshana Gordon/Axios
The House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee moved the Good Samaritan mining bill by voice vote Wednesday.
Why it matters: That could set up the legislation to ride on a year-end vehicle after the Senate passed its version by unanimous consent at the end of July.
Driving the news: Supporters have been making the case that the bill has a military nexus, with hopes of getting it into the defense bill.
- "I'm feeling bullish on Good Sam," Sen. Martin Heinrich, the lead Senate sponsor, said when Axios asked about the bill making it into the NDAA.
- The legislation would set up a pilot program to let conservation groups or state agencies unaffiliated with the original pollution get a permit to clean up certain abandoned mines.
- Trout Unlimited CEO Chris Wood, who's been advocating for this program for years, told Axios in an email that they are "poised to get the bill across the finish line this year, whether it be on NDAA or another legislative pathway."
