Barrick Gold spends $261,000 on 1Q gov't lobbying

WASHINGTON

Gold mining giant Barrick Gold Corp. spent $261,000 in the first quarter to lobby the U.S. government on mining reform and taxes, among other issues, according to a recent report.

From January through March, Barrick Gold of North America lobbied on mining law reform through the National Mining Association, according to a report filed April 19 with the House clerk's office.

The Obama administration has made overhaul of the 1872 mining law one of its priorities. The existing law gives mining preference over other uses on much of the nation's public lands.

Barrick, which is based in Toronto, also monitored clean energy legislation as it related to the mining and manufacturing industries, the implementation of International Monetary Fund gold sales approved last year and tax-related issues, among other items.

Barrick did not list specific federal agencies or Congress that it lobbied on the issues.

A year ago, Barrick spent $90,000 to lobby in the first quarter.