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 hard mineral resources, as defined in the Act, 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 promulgation of the initial regulations in the 1980s. NOAA has included a consolidated license and permit application process in a section of the regulations reserved for this purpose and has made other clarifying and conforming 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. 260113-0029] RIN 0648-BN96 ( printed page 2642) AGENCY: Office for Coastal Management, National Ocean Service, National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Department of Commerce. ACTION: Final rule. 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 hard mineral resources, as defined in the Act, 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 promulgation of the initial regulations in the 1980s. NOAA has included a consolidated license and permit application process in a section of the regulations reserved for this purpose and has made other clarifying and conforming changes. DATES: Effective Date: This rule is effective January 21, 2026. ADDRESSES: The public docket for this rulemaking is available using the Federal eRulemaking Portal at https://www.regulations.gov/​docket/​NOAA-NOS-2025-0108 . FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Kerry Kehoe, Federal Consistency Specialist, (240) 560-8518, kerry.kehoe@noaa.gov . SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: I. Background DSHMRA ( 30 U.S.C. 1401-1473 ) charges the NOAA Administrator wi…
Citation: 91 FR 2642
