Conservation is a long game, and passing conservation laws through Congress has become especially difficult in recent years. But you stayed the course. You never quit, and yesterday the House of Representatives passed Good Samaritan legislation. It already passed the Senate and now heads to President Biden’s desk to be signed into law.
This groundbreaking legislation paves the way for Trout Unlimited, state agencies, and others to increase the pace and scale of efforts to clean up abandoned hardrock mines, tens of thousands of which are polluting waterways across the country. It allows us to demonstrate that would-be Good Samaritans—communities, organizations, and agencies—that had nothing to do with the creation of historic mine pollution, can clean them up and improve water quality and the health of downstream communities.
I have personally testified on this legislation before the U.S. Congress at least a dozen times. Your unwavering commitment to clean water kept us going. You stood with us—writing emails, making donations, calling your member of Congress, raising awareness, and supporting our work.
Your efforts paid off.
I have long likened TU as the patron saint of forgotten environmental causes. Cleaning up abandoned mines tops that list. Over 40% of headwater streams in the West are polluted by abandoned mines. These are the places where our native trout and salmon are holed up. They are the sources of our drinking water.
This vote was a vote for faith and hope. The faith that we can take collective action to recover the lands and waters that sustain our great nation. The hope that we can leave the world to our kids a little healthier than the one we inherited from our parents. Passage of this legislation embodies the best of TU—our ability to use science to drive policy positions; our ability to engage at the local, state, and national level; but most important of all, our unwillingness to quit a hard issue.
From the bottom of my heart, thank you. From all of us at TU, thank you for your dedication, your passion, and your support. This is our victory. Savor it.
Happy holidays to you and your families.
Thank you for your continued support.
Chris Wood
President and CEO
Trout Unlimited
