Commerce Department, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
The Deep Seabed Hard Mineral Resources Act (DSHMRA or the Act) charges NOAA with the responsibility for issuing licenses for exploration and permits for commercial recovery of polymetallic nodules from the deep seabed in areas beyond national jurisdiction and promulgating regulations necessary to carry out the provisions of the Act. Some provisions of the regulations require updating to reflect significant technological and information changes since the initial regulations were promulgated in the 1980s. NOAA proposes to include a consolidated license and permit review process in a section of the regulations that was reserved for this purpose and make other changes.
Document Headings Document headings vary by document type but may contain the following: the agency or agencies that issued and signed a document the number of the CFR title and the number of each part the document amends, proposes to amend, or is directly related to the agency docket number / agency internal file number the RIN which identifies each regulatory action listed in the Unified Agenda of Federal Regulatory and Deregulatory Actions See the Document Drafting Handbook for more details. Department of Commerce National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration 15 CFR Parts 970 and 971 [Docket No. 250630-0118] RIN 0648-BN96 AGENCY: Office for Coastal Management, National Ocean Service, National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Department of Commerce. ( printed page 29807) ACTION: Proposed rule; request for comments. SUMMARY: The Deep Seabed Hard Mineral Resources Act (DSHMRA or the Act) charges NOAA with the responsibility for issuing licenses for exploration and permits for commercial recovery of polymetallic nodules from the deep seabed in areas beyond national jurisdiction and promulgating regulations necessary to carry out the provisions of the Act. Some provisions of the regulations require updating to reflect significant technological and information changes since the initial regulations were promulgated in the 1980s. NOAA proposes to include a consolidated license and permit review process in a section of the regulations that was reserved for this purpose and make other changes. DATES: Comments on this proposed rule must be received by September 5, 2025. NOAA will hold one virtual public hearing on this proposed rule on a date, time, and virtual location to be determined, which will be published in the Federal Register and posted on NOAA's Deep Seabed Mining Website. ADDRESSES: You may submit comments on this proposed rule, identified by NOAA-NOS-2025-0108 by electronic submission described below: Electronic Submission: Submit all public comments…
Citation: 90 FR 29806
