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Note 2 - Cash, Investments, and Restricted Cash | 12 Months Ended
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Dec. 31, 2013
Cash Restricted Cash And Investments [Abstract] |
Cash Restricted Cash And Investments [Text Block] | Note 2. Cash, Investments, and Restricted Cash Cash Our cash is maintained in various financial institutions, with a large majority of our cash balances at December 31, 2013 invested in either U.S. government paper (treasury or agency) or U.S. government or treasury money market funds which are not insured by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (“FDIC”) or the Canada Deposit Insurance Corporation ("CDIC"). A small portion of our cash balances are held in bank accounts insured by the FDIC for up to $250,000 per institution and by the CDIC for up to $100,000 per institution. On December 31, 2012, the unlimited insurance coverage for noninterest-bearing accounts provided under the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act expired. U.S. deposits that were previously insured for unlimited amounts are now aggregated with our interest bearing accounts and insured up to $250,000. We have not experienced losses on cash balances exceeding the insured limits, but there can be no assurance that we will not experience such losses in the future. Investments At December 31, 2013 and 2012, the fair value of our non-current investments was $7.0 million and $9.6 million, respectively. Marketable equity securities are carried at fair market value, as they are classified as “available-for-sale.” The basis of our non-current investments, representing equity securities, was approximately $10.0 million and $8.1 million, respectively, at December 31, 2013 and 2012. During the fourth quarters of 2013 and 2012, we recognized $3.0 million and $1.2 million losses, respectively, in current earnings on impairments of equity shares, as we determined the impairments to be other-than-temporary. In 2013, we acquired common stock in other mining companies for a total cost of $6.0 million, and obtained additional securities through the acquisition of Aurizon having a value of $0.3 million at the time of acquisition, which represents our costs basis (see Note 16). Since the acquisition, we have obtained additional shares of Typhoon Exploration Inc. ("Typhoon") having a cost basis of $0.5 million pursuant to an agreement between Aurizon and Typhoon. In addition, during 2013 we sold investments having a cost basis of $1.5 million for proceeds of $1.7 million. At December 31, 2013, total unrealized loss positions of $3.1 million, net of unrealized gains of $56 thousand, for our non-current investments were included in accumulated other comprehensive loss. Our non-current investments balance as of December 31, 2013 includes our ownership of approximately 29.4% of the outstanding common shares of Typhoon having a cost basis of $0.8 million and fair value of $1.1 million. We elected to apply the fair value option accounting method to the investment upon it meeting the criteria for equity method accounting during the second quarter of 2013. We evaluate the accounting treatment of our individual investments based on whether we believe our ownership percentage and other factors indicate that we have the ability to exercise significant influence in the financial and/or operational decisions of the investee. As of December 31, 2013, we have determined that no other investments held by us qualify for equity method accounting. Restricted Cash and Investments Various laws and permits require that financial assurances be in place for certain environmental and reclamation obligations and other potential liabilities. Restricted investments primarily represent investments in money market funds, certificates of deposit, and guaranteed investment certificates (Canadian deposits). These investments (which included current and non-current balances) are restricted primarily for reclamation funding or surety bonds and were $5.2 million at December 31, 2013, and $0.9 million at December 31, 2012. The increase in 2013 from 2012 is due to restricted reclamation deposits obtained in the acquisition of Aurizon (see Note 16 for more information).

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