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Laws & Policies

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Environmental Good Samaritan Act

The Environmental Good Samaritan Act is a law intended to encourage landowners and others to reclaim abandoned mineral extraction lands and abate water pollution caused by abandoned mines and oil and gas wells. The Environmental Good Samaritan Act protects landowners, groups and individuals who volunteer to do such projects from civil and environmental liability. PA DEP will administer and review project proposals to determine project eligibility.

WPCAMR's newsletter, Abandoned Mine Posts, ran a good introduction to the Good Samaritan Act.

See the Environmental Good Samaritan section on PA DEP website for a fact sheet and the necessary form.

The Susquehanna River Basin Commission has a Growing Greener Technical Assistance Grant which provides information on legal issues of importance to watershed organizations, including the Good Samaritan Act.  Contact Ann Divine at SRBC for more information.