PRC §6900: (a) Notwithstanding Section 6890, the commission or a local trustee of granted public trust lands shall not grant leases or issue permits for the extraction or removal of hard minerals from state wate

(a) Notwithstanding Section 6890, the commission or a local trustee of granted public trust lands shall not grant leases or issue permits for the extraction or removal of hard minerals from state waters subject to tidal influence, except for waters situated east of the Carquinez Bridges on Interstate 80. (b) (1) For purposes of this section, “hard minerals” means natural deposits of valuable minerals, including, but not limited to, metals and placer deposits of metals, nonmetallic minerals, gemstones, ores, gold, silver, copper, lead, iron, manganese, silica, chrome, platinum, tungsten, zirconium, titanium, garnet, and phosphorus. (2) “Hard minerals” does not include rock, gravel, sand, silt, coal, oyster shells, or hydrocarbons. (c) This section does not prohibit scientific research or collections conducted by, or on behalf of, an educational, scientific, or research institution or a governmental agency.