There are also State laws regulating mine reclamation and other Federal and State laws that protect the environment and regulate workplace health and safety that companies must follow. Locatable minerals can be obtained by filing a mining claim. Originally, all minerals except for coal were obtained under the General Mining Laws, however, Congress has removed certain minerals from the operation of the General Mining Law. Since 1920, the Federal Government has leased fuels and certain other minerals. Leasable minerals today include oil and gas, oil shale, geothermal resources, potash, sodium, native asphalt, solid and semisolid bitumen, bituminous rock, phosphate, and coal.
Sulfur is leasable on public lands in Louisiana and New Mexico.
Since 1947, the Federal Government has sold common varieties of sand, gravel, stone, pumice, pumicite, cinders, and ordinary clay. Use of salable minerals requires either a sales contract or a free use permit. The BLM may issue free use permits to a government agency or a non-profit organization. The Forest Service administers the disposal of salable minerals from National Forest System lands. A mining claim is a particular parcel of Federal land, valuable for a specific mineral deposit or deposits.