Arizona surged from 23rd to 17th in global rankings of areas favorable for mining, while Nevada suffered the biggest drop of any area, falling from 3rd to 10th, largely because of a new mining claim fee and threats of increased production taxes.
"Since 1997, The Fraser Institute has conducted an annual survey of metal mining and exploration companies to assess how mineral endowments and public policy factors such as taxation and regulation affect exploration investment. Survey results represent the opinions of executives and exploration managers in mining and mining consulting companies operating around the world."