Western Democrats to push for US mining industry changes

xBILLINGS, Mont. (AP) — House Democrats from some western states are preparing to push for changes to a longstanding law that governs mining on U.S.-owned lands.

A government report published Monday by the Government Accountability Office shows that the U.S. stands out among some other countries such as Australia Canada and Chile that collect royalties on gold, copper and other minerals.

The U.S. does not typically collect royalties on those minerals. House Natural Resources Chairman Raul Grijalva, an Arizona Democrat, says the mining industry should pay at least as much as oil and gas companies, which typically pay royalties of 12.5% on resources extracted from federal lands.

The panel's energy subcommittee, chaired by California Democrat Rep. Alan Lowenthal, is holding a Tuesday oversight hearing on the legacy of mining in western states, where many mining companies went bankrupt decades ago and left behind environmental cleanups that taxpayers are funding.

Past efforts to significantly change the government's mining law that dates to 1872 have failed.