It’s been no secret that the prices of gold and silver have been moving upward at a fast clip in recent months. Gold has soared 27 percent so far this year. There has not been a significant drop-off in production, so it’s been evident that an increase in demand has been a part of the force driving the price upward.

...the tax rate for an incorporated, small-scale mine or mining-related business will be reduced from the former 35 percent rate to 21 percent for the 2018 tax year and thereafter.

Given the enormous expenditures that are required to bring any mining property into production, the industry can ill afford a regulatory system which, by reversing already existent approvals, can nullify the value of funds already expended.