# 114-hr-3602: Gold King Mine Spill Recovery Act of 2015

114-hr-3602, Gold King Mine Spill Recovery Act of 2015, is a 114th Congress bill sponsored by Sen. Luján, Ben Ray [D-NM] (D-NM); status Referred to the Subcommittee on the Constitution and Civil Justice. (as of 2025-11-18).

- Canonical: https://policyrisk.com/legislation/114-hr-3602
- As of: 2025-11-18
- Plain-text twin of the page above; the HTML and this file carry the same facts.

## Facts
- Bill: 114-hr-3602
- Congress: 114
- Title: Gold King Mine Spill Recovery Act of 2015
- Status: Referred to the Subcommittee on the Constitution and Civil Justice.
- Introduced: 2015-09-24
- Sponsor: Sen. Luján, Ben Ray [D-NM] (D-NM)
- Cosponsors: 5
- Policy area: Environmental Protection
- Touches household money: no
- Last recorded action: 2025-11-18

## Summary

Gold King Mine Spill Recovery Act of 2015 This bill entitles persons to compensation for allowable damages (i.e., property, business, or financial losses) under the Federal Tort Claims Act if they were injured by the spill into Cement Creek from the Gold King Mine near Silverton, Colorado. The spill occurred on August 5, 2015. The bill establishes an Office of Gold King Mine Spill Claims within the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to process and pay compensation claims. The EPA must work with affected states and Indian tribes to develop, fund, and implement a long-term monitoring program for water quality of the Animas and San Juan Rivers in response to the spill. The bill amends the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act of 1980 by requiring certain agencies to work with affected states as well as research universities to: (1) identify the most dangerous abandoned and inactive mines, (2) establish a priority plan for cleaning up those mines, (3) update the plan as new information becomes available, and (4) develop a long-term research initiative. That initiative must evaluate the physical, chemical, and geological attributes of closed, abandoned, and inactive mines and pursue technological developments to aid in the cleanup of those mines. Prior to carrying out mine remediation activities, agencies must: (1) provide affected tribal, state, and local governments notice of such activities; and (2) develop a spill prevention, control, and countermeasures plan for avoiding and mitigating the impacts of a spill.

## Cosponsors (5)

- Rep. Lujan Grisham, Michelle [D-NM-1] (D-NM), 2015-09-24T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Polis, Jared [D-CO-2] (D-CO), 2015-09-24T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Perlmutter, Ed [D-CO-7] (D-CO), 2015-09-24T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. DeGette, Diana [D-CO-1] (D-CO), 2015-09-24T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Kirkpatrick, Ann [D-AZ-1] (D-AZ), 2015-10-23T00:00:00.000Z

## Related bills

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- 114-hr-5044: Making supplemental appropriations for fiscal year 2016 to respond to Zika virus.
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## Sources
- [114-hr-3602 on Congress.gov](https://www.congress.gov/bill/114th-congress/house-bill/3602)

## Related
- [114-hr-5621: To posthumously award a Congressional Gold Medal to Lawrence Eugene "Larry" Dob…](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/114-hr-5621)
- [114-hr-5090: To ensure that air transportation between the United States and the European Un…](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/114-hr-5090)
- [114-hr-5044: Making supplemental appropriations for fiscal year 2016 to respond to Zika viru…](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/114-hr-5044)
- [114-hr-4592: Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame Commemorative Coin Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/114-hr-4592)
- [114-hr-4479: Families of Flint Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/114-hr-4479)
- [114-hr-3381: Childhood Cancer STAR Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/114-hr-3381)
- [All bills in Congress](https://policyrisk.com/legislation)

Source: PRIA, https://policyrisk.com/legislation/114-hr-3602 (as of 2025-11-18).