Royalty dropped from Clinton budget

A royalty on hardrock mining on public land in the U.S. will be dropped from the proposed fiscal 1994 budget of the Clinton Administration, the Associated Press reports.

However, White House officials say a similar revenue-producing tactic may be pursued through legislative measures or administrative regulations. A royalty up to 12.5% on gross mining revenue had been proposed. Many American and Canadian companies with producing properties in the U.S. would be affected by such a royalty because most operations involve a mixture of public, private and patented lands.