A continuous longwall miner in an underground coal mine in Utah

The Department of Interior's Bureau of Land Management (BLM) administers about 264 million acres of land—nearly one-eighth of the United States—mostly in the western states and Alaska. The BLM also administers the mineral estate of nearly 700 million acres throughout the country. The BLM is responsible for the balanced management of the public lands and resources and their various values so that they are considered in a combination that will best serve the needs of the American people. The BLM bases its management on the principles of multiple use and sustained yield—a combination of uses that takes into account the long-term needs of future generations for renewable and nonrenewable resources. These resources include recreation, range, timber, minerals, watershed, fish and wildlife, wilderness, and natural scenic, scientific, and cultural values.

The public lands produce commodities that are key to the Nation's economy, providing economic stability and growth for local and regional economies. Energy and mineral resources generate the highest economic production values among commercial uses of both BLM-administered public lands (surface) and Federal minerals (subsurface) estate.

Public lands also provide substantial returns to the American people. In 1999, these activities generated $1.2 billion in revenue. Energy and mineral royalties, rents, bonuses, sales, and fees accounted for $1.1 billion of the total. The direct and indirect economic impact of energy and mineral production on the public lands amounted to an estimated $24.7 billion.

Can I file a mining claim on any Federal land?

No—not all Federal lands are open for mining claims. There are federally administered lands in 19 States where you may locate a mining claim or site: Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Florida, Idaho, Louisiana, Mississippi, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Mexico, North Dakota, Oregon, South Dakota, Utah, Washington, and Wyoming. In these States, the BLM manages the surface public lands and the Forest Service manages the surface National Forest System lands. Excepting mineral materials, the BLM is responsible for the minerals on both public lands and National Forest System lands.

You may prospect and locate claims and sites on lands open to mineral entry. Claims may not be staked in areas closed to mineral entry by a special act of Congress, regulation, or public land order. These areas are withdrawn from the operation of the mining laws.

Potash ore being moved on a conveyor belt

Areas withdrawn from location of mining claims include National Parks, National Monuments, Indian reservations, most reclamation projects, military reservations, scientific testing areas, most wildlife protection areas (such as Federal wildlife refuges), and lands withdrawn from mineral entry for other reasons. Lands withdrawn for power development may be subject to mining location and entry only under certain conditions. Mining claims may not be located on lands that have been:

• designated by Congress as part of the National Wilderness Preservation System,
• designated as a wild portion of a Wild and Scenic River, or
• withdrawn by Congress for study as a Wild and Scenic River. There is usually a 1/4-mile buffer zone withdrawn from location of mining claims on either side of a river while the river is being studied for inclusion in the Wild and Scenic Rivers System.

Locatable (hard-rock) minerals on most lands acquired by the United States and on Indian reservations are leasable. The Bureau of Indian Affairs is responsible for leasing minerals on Tribal lands and lands held in trust for the benefit of individual American Indians.

Does BLM produce solid minerals?

No. The BLM does not produce minerals. The agency issues permits and leases to companies so they may explore for and produce solid minerals. We also issue free use permits for mineral materials to government agencies, charitable organizations, and non-profit corporations. We review mine plans, plans of operation and other development plans to ensure that mineral resources are conserved and other resources are protected. We also ensure that the government is properly compensated for minerals produced from public land.

A lead mining operation near Viburnum, Missouri

What solid minerals do companies produce from public land?

Companies produce a wide variety of solid minerals from the public land including:

• coal for electricity,
• sodium for industrial chemicals,
• phosphate and potassium for fertilizer,
• sand and gravel for roads and other construction projects, and
• metals like copper, gold, and platinum.

Are there other laws important to solid mineral development?

Yes. There are many significant laws important to solid mineral development. Many of these laws amended the key mineral disposal statutes listed above. Other laws govern the management of the public land and the protection of the environment. Some of these laws are:

• the Federal Land Policy and Management Act of 1976,
• the Surface Mine Reclamation and Enforcement Act of 1977 (administered by the Office of Surface Mining, another Interior Department agency),
• the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969,
• the Threatened and Endangered Species Act of 1973,
• and the Clean Water Act.

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.

What are "locatable minerals"?

Locatable minerals can be obtained by filing a mining claim. Locatable minerals include both metallic minerals (gold, silver, lead, etc.) and nonmetallic minerals (fluorspar, asbestos, mica, gemstones, etc.). 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.

• Leasable Minerals. 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.
• Mineral Materials. 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.

BLM compliance inspection of Homestake's McLaughlin Gold Mine, Clear Lake, California

What is a mining claim?

A mining claim is a particular parcel of Federal land, valuable for a specific mineral deposit or deposits. It is a parcel for which an individual has asserted a right of possession. The right is restricted to the extraction and development of a mineral deposit as regulated by the BLM or the Forest Service. The rights granted by a mining claim are valid against a challenge by the United States and other claimants only after the discovery of a valuable mineral deposit. Generally speaking, a mining claim is referred to as a "lode claim" if mineralization occurs as a vein of ore in place or as a "placer claim" if minerals are dispersed among particles of sand or gravel. A millsite claim is one used to process locatable minerals.