House panel OKs Henderson mine cleanup

WASHINGTON -- A bill that would turn over an abandoned manganese mine in Henderson for what could turn into a billion-dollar cleanup and redevelopment got the green light Wednesday from a House panel that downplayed worries that taxpayers might end up holding the bag if the job can't get done.

The Henderson Redevelopment Agency has signed an agreement with the private Lakemoor Development LLC to reclaim the abandoned Three Kids Mine along Lake Mead Parkway and turn it into shops and neighborhoods.

The House Natural Resources Committee signed off on a bill that would convey 948 acres of federal land to the agency, which would oversee the clearing of lead, asbestos, diesel fuel and arsenic on the property, and also on 314 acres of adjoining private land that once was part of the mine.

The vote was 27-17, sending the measure to the House floor.

The bill, sponsored by Rep. Joe Heck, R-Nev., would absolve the government of all liabilities after it turns over the land. But Rep. Rush Holt, D-N.J., questioned what would happen if the local effort failed.

Cleanup cost estimates range from $300 million to as much as $1.2 billion, depending on whether the tailings can be buried onsite without harming groundwater, or whether they might have to be removed altogether.

Republicans by voice vote defeated a Holt amendment that would have given the federal government the ability to step back in if Lakemoor falls short.

"I think it is everyone's hope that the developer will be able to do this and do it fully and safely and completely at the lower estimate, but if not, I think we need this assurance that guarantees federal obligation," Holt said. "This is a backstop."

But Rep. Doug Lamborn, R-Colo., said the amendment would sink the bill by requiring other cuts or new taxes to offset the potential cost of a federal cleanup.

Rep. Mark Amodei, R-Nev., said the Nevada Division of Environmental Protection, no stranger to mine cleanups, would enforce the Henderson project.

"I will say they have been in the business of regulating cleanup related to minerals extraction for a while. I would dare suggest they have an excellent record of making sure those folks are responsible," Amodei said.

Besides, Amodei said, the government for decades has made no move to clean up the site. The local community should be given the chance to make it happen.

"I think this is something worth trying," Amodei said.

Contact Stephens Washington Bureau Chief Steve Tetreault at stetreault@stephensmedia.com or 202-783-1760.