(a) The commissioner may grant a prospecting permit to a qualified applicant. The permit gives the exclusive right to prospect for chlorides, sulphates, carbonates, borates, silicates, or nitrates of sodium in land belonging to the state for a period of not exceeding two years. The area included in a prospecting permit may not exceed 2,560 acres of land in reasonably compact form. Upon showing to the satisfaction of the commissioner that valuable deposits of sodium minerals have been discovered by the permittee within the area covered by the permit, and that the land is chiefly valuable for these deposits, the permittee is entitled to a lease for all or a part of the land embraced in the prospecting permit at a royalty of not less than two percent of the quantity or gross value of the output of sodium compounds and other related products at the point of shipment to market. The commissioner may lease land known to contain valuable deposits of sodium compounds that is not covered by permits or leases through advertisement, competitive bidding, or other methods prescribed by regulation. The area covered by a lease may not exceed 2,560 acres.

(b) Each lease shall be conditioned upon the same royalty payment specified in (a) of this section and the payment in advance of a rental of 25 cents an acre for the first calendar year or fraction of it, 50 cents an acre for the second calendar year, third calendar year, fourth calendar year, and fifth calendar year, and $1 an acre a year thereafter during the continuance of the lease. The rental for any one year shall be credited against royalties accruing for that year.

(c) A lease shall be for a period of 20 years with preferential right in the lessee to renew for successive periods of 10 years upon terms and conditions prescribed by the commissioner.