However, when mineral materials are covered by soil and vegetation, it may be necessary to perform drilling or trenching to determine the quality and quantity of the deposit. Bonding and reclamation requirements may be imposed on sampling and testing activities. If the findings contain confidential or privileged information, this information must be identified by the permittee so that it may be excluded from the public inspection under the Freedom of Information Act. There is no specific application form for requesting removal of mineral materials from public lands. Persons interested in buying mineral materials should contact the local BLM District or Resource Area office closest to the area of need or closest to the public land where the desired material is found.
Many people request only a few tons or cubic yards.
Others, such as construction contractors or nurseries, may request thousands of tons or cubic yards. Regulations governing contracts and permits for mineral materials are contained in Title 43 Code of Federal Regulations, Subparts 3610 and 3620, respectively. Generally, community pits and common use areas are close to communities and area easily accessible for the convenience of the public. The are established by the BLM to reduce the amount of surface disturbance in areas known to have a large public demand for mineral materials. No one contractor has exclusive rights to the mineral materials in a community pit or common use area.