Mining claims in Utah
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The hardrock mining industry owns gold, silver, and other precious metals and minerals beneath an estimated 367,244 acres of U.S. public land in Utah, resources worth millions of dollars a year, acquired for as little as $0.84 per acre and held in perpetuity for a yearly rental fee as low as $0.62 an acre. Under a 132-year-old law originally intended to spur development of the West, an industry dominated by a handful of multinational corporations pays no federal royalties, and leaves behind a landscape of dramatically diminished value, scarred with tunnels, pits, and toxic waste piles.
| Quick facts about mining claims in Utah |
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• Total number of claim-holders: 1,480 • Acres of public land claimed by the mining industry, estimated: 367,244 (3 times Lake Tahoe) • Dollars paid for each acre: as little as $0.84, and as little as $0.62 yearly rental fee • Reimbursement to the federal government for gold, silver and other precious metals taken from public land: $0 • Companies owning minerals on at least 10,000 public acres: 32 • Percentage of claims held by foreign companies: 7% • Land area ever claimed by the mining industry nationally, estimated: 79 million acres (the size of New Mexico) |
EWG analysis of data compiled by the Bureau of Land Management. |
Top Mining Claim Owners in Utah Ranked by Acres Claimed
Companies have been consolidated to account for subsidiaries. View this table without consolidation.
| Company/Individual | Headquarters | Number of Claims | Acreage Claimed | Date(s) Filed | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Dr Gordon Reynolds | Price, UT | 300 | 48,000 | 1997 to 1999 |
| 2 | David Driggers | Price, UT | 248 | 39,680 | 1997 to 1998 |
| 3 | Joan Crouch | Price, UT | 217 | 34,720 | 1998 to 1999 |
| 4 | Robert L Crouch | Price, UT | 217 | 34,720 | 1998 to 1999 |
| 5 | Dan Guy | Price, UT | 217 | 34,720 | 1998 to 1999 |
| 6 | Sarie Guy | Price, UT | 217 | 34,720 | 1998 to 1999 |
| 7 | William B Wray | Park City, UT | 211 | 33,342 | 1989 to 2003 |
| 8 | Mike Sanders | Milford, UT | 210 | 33,321 | 2003 |
| 9 | John A Dotson | Milford, UT | 185 | 29,600 | 2003 |
| 10 | Katie Dotson | Milford, UT | 185 | 29,600 | 2003 |
| See all claim holders in Utah | |||||
Some of the claimants in this table may be in partnership with other individuals or companies with a claim to the same land.
Counties in Utah Ranked by Acres Claimed
| County | Number of Claims | Estimated Acreage | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Emery County | 720 | 64,605 | details | map |
| 2 | Beaver County | 882 | 59,969 | details | map |
| 3 | Tooele County | 1,378 | 32,449 | details | map |
| 4 | Millard County | 815 | 26,252 | details | map |
| 5 | San Juan County | 950 | 20,825 | details | map |
| 6 | Piute County | 765 | 18,868 | details | map |
| 7 | Washington County | 537 | 17,241 | details | map |
| 8 | Box Elder County | 293 | 16,034 | details | map |
| 9 | Wayne County | 321 | 14,906 | details | map |
| 10 | Salt Lake County | 694 | 14,236 | details | map |
| See all counties | |||||
Examples of Mines in Utah
| Name of Mine | Location of Mine | Mine Status | Metal Mined | Owner or Parent Company of Owner |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Trixie | Juab County, UT | Open | Gold | Tintic Utah Metals, LLC |
| Barney's Canyon Gold Mine | Salt Lake County, UT | Open | Gold | Rio Tinto Limited |
| Bingham Canyon Mine | Salt Lake County, UT | Open | Copper Ore | Rio Tinto Limited |
Source: EWG analysis.