For 149 years, the production of hardrock minerals on federal lands has been governed by the General Mining Law of 1872. Under the law, companies are not required to pay a royalty to taxpayers from the sale of publicly owned minerals including gold, silver, copper, and uranium extracted from federal lands. This approach not only differs from federal management of oil, gas, and coal development, which are charged royalties as high as 18.75 percent, but it also prevents accountability regarding the volume and value of public resources extracted from federal lands.

Without reform, mining companies will continue profiting from gold, silver, and other hardrock minerals removed from federal lands every year while taxpayers lose out on billions of dollars in much-needed revenue.

Read our fact sheet below or download it here.