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SPONSOR: |
Cisneros |
DATE TYPED: |
01/29/02 |
HB |
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SHORT TITLE: |
Abandoned Mines |
SB |
SJM45 |
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ANALYST: |
Trujillo |
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APPROPRIATION
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Appropriation
Contained |
Estimated
Additional Impact |
Recurring or Non-Rec |
Fund Affected |
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FY02 |
FY03 |
FY02 |
FY03 |
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NFI |
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(Parenthesis
( ) Indicate Expenditure Decreases)
LFC Files
Responses Received From:
Energy, Minerals and Natural Resources
Department (EMNRD)
Environment Department (ED)
SUMMARY
Synopsis
of Bill
Senate Joint Memorial
45 requests the New Mexico Legislative Council to direct the appropriate
committee to review the issue of abandoned mines and the hazard they pose to
public safety.
Significant
Issues
According to ED, the memorial is concerned with deaths associated with abandoned mine accidents and the risks posed to emergency personnel who attempt to rescue people lost or trapped in abandoned mines.
EMNRD reports across
the country and in New Mexico abandoned mines are a safety hazard, and people
are killed on a regular basis. It is
estimated that there are about 20,000 abandoned mine openings in our state, and
almost all of them are old metals mines.
The Abandoned Mine Land Bureau in the Mining and Minerals Division of
EMNRD (AML) is mandated to address safety hazards at abandoned mine sites in
New Mexico. These efforts are funded
through a tax on coal production that is collected, managed and distributed to
the states by the federal Department of the Interior. New Mexico receives
approximately $1.5 million each year for this program. The AML program is not involved in emergency
response to accidents, it only safeguards known safety hazards. By statute, the first priority for these
expenditures is abandoned coal mine sites, therefore metals mines are not top
priority. At most coal mines hazards
have now been addressed, AML is now addressing metals mines as well as the
remaining coal sites. The sheer number
of sites, however, means it will be decades before all hazards can be
addressed, assuming funding continues.
Currently, the tax on coal production is scheduled to expire in
2004.
Effective
coordination of emergency response can provide the greatest chances of saving
lives when responding to an accident.
As a number of state and federal agencies may become involved in rescue
efforts depending on circumstances, understanding which agencies have
jurisdiction and will provide the necessary resources in the most timely manner
is necessary.
RELATIONSHIP
The memorial
relates to HJM 23, which directs the ED to evaluate the extent of the
remediation needed in Cibola and McKinley counties to address proper cleanup of
abandoned mines located in those counties.
[1]Begin typing on the * in replace mode. Do not add or delete spaces.