The U.S. House has passed a bill that lets the state buy most of the Gild Edge Mine superfund site near Lead.
The bill directs the Forest Service to sell the 266-acre parcel to the state at market value.
Rep. Dusty Johnson, R-SD, sponsored the legislation.
On the House floor last week, Johnson said the goal is to turn the area back into an environmental asset.
“People are not going hiking here. This is not wildlife habitat. You will not have bison from the Black Hills in South Dakota nestle in this leech pond here,” Johnson said. “We have real environmental work to do here. It’s important to do it in the most effective way. This bill would advance that cause.”
Brohm Mining Company shut down the Gilt Edge gold mine near Lead in 1992. The company filed for bankruptcy in 1999.
It left behind 150 million gallons of acidic, heavy-metal laden water.
The state has acquired property in the superfund site since 2001. The state needs to have primary authority over the land to continue clean up.
