[Federal Register Volume 86, Number 214 (Tuesday, November 9, 2021)]
[Notices]
[Pages 62199-62203]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2021-24488]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Geological Survey

[GX22GS00EMMA900]


2021 Draft List of Critical Minerals

AGENCY: U.S. Geological Survey, Department of the Interior.

ACTION: Notice of opportunity for public comment.

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SUMMARY: The United States remains heavily dependent on imports of 
certain mineral commodities that are vital to the Nation's economic and 
national security interests. This dependency has the potential to 
create strategic vulnerabilities arising from adverse foreign actions, 
pandemics, natural disasters, or other events that can disrupt the 
supply of critical minerals. The Department of the Interior (DOI)

[[Page 62200]]

published a list of 35 critical minerals \1\ or mineral groups on May 
18, 2018, in response to Executive Order 13817--A Federal Strategy to 
Ensure Secure and Reliable Supplies of Critical Minerals.
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    \1\ Final Critical Minerals List 2018 https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2018/05/18/2018-10667/final-list-of-critical-minerals-2018.

DATES: To ensure consideration, written comments must be submitted 
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before December 9, 2021.

ADDRESSES: You may submit written comments online at http://www.regulations.gov by entering ``DOI-2021-xxxx'' in the Search bar and 
clicking ``Search,'' or by mail to Draft List of Critical Minerals, MS-
102, U.S. Geological Survey, 12201 Sunrise Valley Dr., Reston, VA 
20192.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: James Mosley, (703) 648-6312, 
[email protected]. Persons who use a telecommunications device for the 
deaf (TDD) may call the Federal Relay Service (FRS) at 1-800-877-8339 
to contact Mr. Mosley during normal business hours. The FRS is 
available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, to leave a message or question 
with this individual. You will receive a reply during normal business 
hours. Normal business hours are 9:00 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., Monday through 
Friday, except for Federal holidays.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Pursuant to Section 7002 (``Mineral 
Security'') of Title VII (``Critical Minerals'') of the Energy Act of 
2020 (The Energy Act) (Pub. L. 116-260, December 27, 2020, 116th 
Cong.),\2\ the Secretary of the Interior (The Secretary), acting 
through the Director of the U.S. Geological Survey, and in consultation 
with the Secretaries of Defense, Commerce, Agriculture, and Energy and 
the United States Trade Representative, is to ``publish in the Federal 
Register for public comment--(A) a description of the draft methodology 
used to identify a draft list of critical minerals; (B) a draft list of 
minerals, elements, substances, and materials that qualify as critical 
minerals; and (C) a draft list of critical minerals recovered as 
byproducts and their host minerals.'' Under the Energy Act, Sec. 7002 
(c)(5)(A) the methodology and list shall be reviewed at least every 3 
years.
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    \2\ Energy Act of 2020 (Division Z of the Consolidated 
Appropriations Act, 2021): https://rules.house.gov/sites/democrats.rules.house.gov/files/BILLS-116HR133SA-RCP-116-68.pdf.
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    On behalf of the Secretary, the Associate Director for Natural 
Hazards exercising the authority of the Director of the U.S. Geological 
Survey presents here a draft list of 50 mineral commodities proposed 
for inclusion on the 2021 list of critical minerals: Aluminum, 
antimony, arsenic, barite, beryllium, bismuth, cerium, cesium, 
chromium, cobalt, dysprosium, erbium, europium, fluorspar, gadolinium, 
gallium, germanium, graphite, hafnium, holmium, indium, iridium, 
lanthanum, lithium, lutetium, magnesium, manganese, neodymium, nickel, 
niobium, palladium, platinum, praseodymium, rhodium, rubidium, 
ruthenium, samarium, scandium, tantalum, tellurium, terbium, thulium, 
tin, titanium, tungsten, vanadium, ytterbium, yttrium, zinc, and 
zirconium.
    Much of the increase in the number of mineral commodities, from 35 
commodities and groups on the final 2018 list to 50 commodities on the 
2021 draft list, is the result of splitting the rare earth elements and 
platinum group elements into individual entries rather than including 
them as mineral groups. In addition, the 2021 draft list adds nickel 
and zinc and removes helium, potash, rhenium, and strontium. The Energy 
Act of 2020 explicitly excluded fuel minerals from the definition of a 
critical mineral and the Mining and Mineral Policy Act of 1970 \3\ 
formally defined uranium as a mineral fuel, so uranium was not 
evaluated for inclusion on the 2021 draft list of critical minerals.
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    \3\ Mining and Minerals Policy Act of 1970 https://openei.org/wiki/Mining_and_Minerals_Policy_Act_of_1970.
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    Minerals were included on the 2021 draft list of critical minerals 
based on three evaluations: (1) A quantitative evaluation wherever 
sufficient data were available, (2) a semi-quantitative evaluation of 
whether the supply chain had a single point of failure, and (3) a 
qualitative evaluation when other evaluations were not possible. The 
report \4\ describing the methodology and the technical input from the 
U.S. Geological Survey may be found at the following link: https://doi.org/10.3133/ofr20211045 and further details are summarized in the 
supplementary information section below. The U.S. Geological Survey 
seeks comments on the make-up of the draft list and the rationale 
associated with potential additions or subtractions to the draft list 
as described in the methodology report.
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    \4\ Nassar, N.T., and Fortier, S.M., 2021, Methodology and 
technical input for the 2021 review and revision of the U.S. 
Critical Minerals List: U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Report 
2021-1045, 31 p., https://doi.org/10.3133/ofr20211045.
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    The Energy Act of 2020, Section 7002(c)(4)(A), defined critical 
minerals as those which:
    (i) ``are essential to the economic or national security of the 
United States;
    (ii) the supply chain of which is vulnerable to disruption 
(including restrictions associated with foreign political risk, abrupt 
demand growth, military conflict, violent unrest, anti-competitive or 
protectionist behaviors, and other risks through-out the supply chain); 
and
    (iii) serve an essential function in the manufacturing of a product 
(including energy technology-, defense-, currency-, agriculture-, 
consumer electronics-, and healthcare-related applications), the 
absence of which would have significant consequences for the economic 
or national security of the United States.''
    Section 7002(a)(3)(B) further defined the term by stating that 
``The term ``critical mineral'' does not include--
    (i) fuel minerals;
    (ii) water, ice, or snow;
    (iii) common varieties of sand, gravel, stone, pumice, cinders, and 
clay.''
    The Mining and Minerals Policy Act of 1970, 30 U.S.C. 21(a), 
defined ``mineral fuels'' as ``including oil, gas, coal, oil shale and 
uranium''. Based on these definitions, uranium was not evaluated for 
inclusion on the 2021 draft list of critical minerals.
    The U.S. Government and other organizations may also use other 
definitions and rely on other criteria to identify a material or 
mineral as ``critical'' or otherwise important. This list is not 
intended to replace related terms and definitions of materials that are 
deemed strategic, critical or otherwise important (such as definitions 
related to the National Defense Stockpile, Specialty Materials, and 
Militarily Critical Materials). In addition, there are many minerals 
not listed on the critical minerals list that are important to the U.S. 
economy. These materials are not considered critical as defined by the 
Energy Act because the U.S. largely meets its needs for these through 
domestic mining and processing and thus a supply disruption is 
considered unlikely.
    The 2021 draft list of critical minerals is based on a methodology 
developed over several years with leadership by the U.S. Geological 
Survey and interagency input coordinated by the White House Office of 
Science and Technology Policy's National Science and Technology Council 
(NSTC) Critical Minerals Subcommittee. The 2021 update to the 
methodology was published by the U.S. Geological Survey in 2021 
(https://doi.org/10.3133/ofr20211045) and includes three evaluations: 
(1) A quantitative evaluation wherever sufficient data were available, 
(2) a semi-quantitative evaluation of whether the supply chain

[[Page 62201]]

had a single point of failure, and (3) a qualitative evaluation when 
other evaluations were not possible. The quantitative evaluation is an 
enhancement of the NSTC methodology published in 2018 (https://doi.org/10.3133/ofr20181021) and used to develop the 2018 list of critical 
minerals. The 2021 quantitative evaluation uses (A) a net import 
reliance indicator of the dependence of the U.S. manufacturing sector 
on foreign supplies, (B) an enhanced production concentration indicator 
which focuses on production concentration outside of the United States, 
(C) weights for each producing country's production contribution by its 
ability or willingness to continue to supply the United States, and 
converts the 2018 methodology's qualitative evaluation of economic 
importance into a quantitative evaluation of economic vulnerability for 
the U.S. manufacturing sector. Further details on the underlying 
rationale and the specific approach, data sources, and assumptions used 
to calculate each component of the supply risk metrics are described in 
the references cited in this notice.
    Table 1 shows the result of the review of the list of critical 
minerals for 2021, ranked in order of decreasing supply chain risk when 
a quantitative evaluation was possible. The table columns indicate 
whether each mineral commodity recommended for inclusion on the 2021 
draft list of critical minerals, the basis for the recommendation 
(quantitative evaluation, single point of failure, or qualitative 
evaluation), whether the commodity was included in on the 2018 final 
list of critical minerals, and whether it is produced primarily as a 
byproduct of another mineral commodity. Of the sixty-six mineral 
commodities listed in Table 1, fifty-four (82% of the minerals 
considered) could be evaluated using the quantitative NSTC methodology. 
This includes mineral commodities that are recommended for inclusion on 
the list based on a single point of supply chain failure, as 
applicable, even if the commodity did not meet the quantitative 
threshold cutoff. See methodology references for further details.

                              Table 1--Summary of Evaluation of Mineral Commodities for the 2021 List of Critical Minerals
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   Highest to lowest supply                                                            Basis for
     chain risk, based on       Mineral commodity  Included on draft 2021 list of     recommended         On 2018 list of     Predominantly recovered as
 quantitative evaluation \5\                             critical minerals?            inclusion        critical minerals?          byproduct? \6\
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1............................  Gallium...........  Yes...........................  Quantitative       Yes...................  Yes.
                                                                                    evaluation.
2............................  Niobium...........  Yes...........................  Quantitative       Yes...................  No.
                                                                                    evaluation.
3............................  Cobalt............  Yes...........................  Quantitative       Yes...................  Yes.
                                                                                    evaluation.
4............................  Neodymium.........  Yes...........................  Quantitative       Yes...................  Yes.
                                                                                    evaluation.
5............................  Ruthenium.........  Yes...........................  Quantitative       Yes...................  Yes.
                                                                                    evaluation.
6............................  Rhodium...........  Yes...........................  Quantitative       Yes...................  Yes.
                                                                                    evaluation.
7............................  Dysprosium........  Yes...........................  Quantitative       Yes...................  Yes.
                                                                                    evaluation.
8............................  Aluminum..........  Yes...........................  Quantitative       Yes...................  No.
                                                                                    evaluation.
9............................  Fluorspar.........  Yes...........................  Quantitative       Yes...................  No.
                                                                                    evaluation.
10...........................  Platinum..........  Yes...........................  Quantitative       Yes...................  No.
                                                                                    evaluation.
11...........................  Iridium...........  Yes...........................  Quantitative       Yes...................  Yes.
                                                                                    evaluation.
12...........................  Praseodymium......  Yes...........................  Quantitative       Yes...................  Yes.
                                                                                    evaluation.
13...........................  Cerium............  Yes...........................  Quantitative       Yes...................  Yes.
                                                                                    evaluation.
14...........................  Lanthanum.........  Yes...........................  Quantitative       Yes...................  Yes.
                                                                                    evaluation.
15...........................  Bismuth...........  Yes...........................  Quantitative       Yes...................  Yes.
                                                                                    evaluation.
16...........................  Yttrium...........  Yes...........................  Quantitative       Yes...................  Yes.
                                                                                    evaluation.
17...........................  Antimony..........  Yes...........................  Quantitative       Yes...................  Yes.
                                                                                    evaluation.
18...........................  Tantalum..........  Yes...........................  Quantitative       Yes...................  No.
                                                                                    evaluation.
19...........................  Hafnium...........  Yes...........................  Quantitative       Yes...................  Yes.
                                                                                    evaluation.
20...........................  Tungsten..........  Yes...........................  Quantitative       Yes...................  No.
                                                                                    evaluation.
21...........................  Vanadium..........  Yes...........................  Quantitative       Yes...................  Yes.
                                                                                    evaluation.
22...........................  Tin...............  Yes...........................  Quantitative       Yes...................  No.
                                                                                    evaluation.
23...........................  Magnesium.........  Yes...........................  Quantitative       Yes...................  No.
                                                                                    evaluation.
24...........................  Germanium.........  Yes...........................  Quantitative       Yes...................  Yes.
                                                                                    evaluation.
25...........................  Palladium.........  Yes...........................  Quantitative       Yes...................  Yes.
                                                                                    evaluation.
26...........................  Titanium..........  Yes...........................  Quantitative       Yes...................  No.
                                                                                    evaluation.
27...........................  Zinc..............  Yes...........................  Quantitative       No....................  No.
                                                                                    evaluation.
28...........................  Graphite..........  Yes...........................  Quantitative       Yes...................  No.
                                                                                    evaluation.
29...........................  Chromium..........  Yes...........................  Quantitative       Yes...................  No.
                                                                                    evaluation.
30...........................  Arsenic...........  Yes...........................  Quantitative       Yes...................  Yes.
                                                                                    evaluation.
31...........................  Barite............  Yes...........................  Quantitative       Yes...................  No.
                                                                                    evaluation.
32...........................  Indium............  Yes...........................  Quantitative       Yes...................  Yes.
                                                                                    evaluation.
33...........................  Samarium..........  Yes...........................  Quantitative       Yes...................  Yes.
                                                                                    evaluation.
34...........................  Manganese.........  Yes...........................  Quantitative       Yes...................  No.
                                                                                    evaluation.
35...........................  Lithium...........  Yes...........................  Quantitative       Yes...................  No.
                                                                                    evaluation.
36...........................  Tellurium.........  Yes...........................  Quantitative       Yes...................  Yes.
                                                                                    evaluation.
37...........................  Lead..............  No............................  Not applicable...  No....................  No.
38...........................  Potash............  No............................  Not applicable...  Yes...................  No.
39...........................  Strontium.........  No............................  Not applicable...  Yes...................  No.
40...........................  Rhenium...........  No............................  Not applicable...  Yes...................  Yes.
41...........................  Nickel............  Yes...........................  Single point of    No....................  No.
                                                                                    failure.
42...........................  Copper............  No............................  Not applicable...  No....................  No.
43...........................  Beryllium.........  Yes...........................  Single point of    Yes...................  No.
                                                                                    failure.
44...........................  Feldspar..........  No............................  Not applicable...  No....................  No.
45...........................  Phosphate.........  No............................  Not applicable...  No....................  No.
46...........................  Silver............  No............................  Not applicable...  No....................  Yes.

[[Page 62202]]

 
47...........................  Mica..............  No............................  Not applicable...  No....................  No.
48...........................  Selenium..........  No............................  Not applicable...  No....................  Yes.
49...........................  Cadmium...........  No............................  Not applicable...  No....................  Yes.
50...........................  Zirconium.........  Yes...........................  Single point of    Yes...................  Yes.
                                                                                    failure.
51...........................  Molybdenum........  No............................  Not applicable...  No....................  No.
52...........................  Gold..............  No............................  Not applicable...  No....................  No.
53...........................  Helium............  No............................  Not applicable...  Yes...................  Yes.
54...........................  Iron ore..........  No............................  Not applicable...  No....................  No.
(\7\)........................  Cesium............  Yes...........................  Qualitative        Yes...................  Yes.
                                                                                    evaluation.
(\8\)........................  Erbium............  Yes...........................  Qualitative        Yes...................  Yes.
                                                                                    evaluation.
(\8\)........................  Europium..........  Yes...........................  Qualitative        Yes...................  Yes.
                                                                                    evaluation.
(\8\)........................  Gadolinium........  Yes...........................  Qualitative        Yes...................  Yes.
                                                                                    evaluation.
(\8\)........................  Holmium...........  Yes...........................  Qualitative        Yes...................  Yes.
                                                                                    evaluation.
(\8\)........................  Lutetium..........  Yes...........................  Qualitative        Yes...................  Yes.
                                                                                    evaluation.
(\8\)........................  Rubidium..........  Yes...........................  Qualitative        Yes...................  Yes.
                                                                                    evaluation.
(\8\)........................  Scandium..........  Yes...........................  Qualitative        Yes...................  Yes.
                                                                                    evaluation.
(\8\)........................  Terbium...........  Yes...........................  Qualitative        Yes...................  Yes.
                                                                                    evaluation.
(\8\)........................  Thulium...........  Yes...........................  Qualitative        Yes...................  Yes.
                                                                                    evaluation.
(\8\)........................  Uranium...........  Not evaluated.................  Not applicable...  Yes...................  No.
(\8\)........................  Ytterbium.........  Yes...........................  Qualitative        Yes...................  Yes.
                                                                                    evaluation.
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    Table 1 includes 11 mineral commodities that are not recommended 
for inclusion on the 2021 list of critical minerals. These mineral 
commodities did not meet the NSTC quantitative evaluation criteria, 
were determined not to have a single point of failure and were not 
included on the 2018 list of critical minerals. These eleven 
commodities (17% of the minerals evaluated) are: Lead, copper, 
feldspar, phosphate, silver, mica, selenium, cadmium, molybdenum, gold, 
and iron ore, ranked in order of their overall supply chain risk. While 
several of these are essential mineral commodities, their supply chain 
vulnerability is mitigated by domestic production, lack of import 
dependence, and diverse, secure sources of supply.
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    \5\ Ranked in order from highest to lowest risk based on a 
recency-weighted mean of the commodities' overall supply risk 
scores. See the published methodology (https://doi.org/10.3133/ofr20211045) for further details.
    \6\ Most mineral commodities are recovered as byproducts to some 
degree, but the share of primary production as a byproduct for the 
mineral commodities that are not identified as byproducts in the 
table is typically small. Rare earth elements (REEs) are mined both 
as byproducts of other mineral commodities (for example, iron ore or 
heavy-mineral sands) and as the main product. Where REEs are mined 
as the main product, the individual REEs are either byproducts or 
coproducts of each other. For simplicity, all REEs are labeled in 
the table as having been produced mostly as byproducts. Byproduct 
status can and does change, although notable changes over short 
periods of time are rare.
    \7\ Commodities that were not evaluated using the quantitative 
evaluation are not given a rank and are ordered alphabetically.
    \8\ USGS Mineral Commodity Summaries 2021 https://pubs.usgs.gov/periodicals/mcs2021/mcs2021.pdf.
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    Mineral commodities that did not meet the criteria for the NSTC 
quantitative evaluation, but that have an identified single point of 
supply chain failure and an essential economic function, are 
recommended for inclusion on the 2021 list of critical minerals 
regardless of whether the commodities in question were on the 2018 
list. Examples are beryllium and zirconium, which were on the 2018 
list, and nickel, which was not. Increasing demand for nickel as a 
component for producing cathodes for lithium-ion batteries, and the 
limited mining, smelting, and refinery capacity in the United States 
make a compelling case for inclusion.
    Zinc, which was not on the 2018 list of critical minerals, was 
above the quantitative threshold for inclusion on the 2021 draft list 
of critical minerals due to the increasing concentration of mine and 
smelter capacities globally and the continued refinement and 
development of the quantitative evaluation criteria.
    Potash, rhenium, and strontium were on the 2018 list of critical 
minerals but do not meet the quantitative threshold and do not have a 
single point of failure. Potash, strontium, and rhenium have supply 
risk scores just below the quantitative threshold. This highlights the 
fact that the metrics developed with this methodology are best viewed 
as a continuum of supply risk rather than an as indication that supply 
risk does not exist for commodities below the quantitative cutoff. 
These three commodities all had very high trade exposure but low 
disruption potential. This reflects the fact that, while the United 
States was highly net import reliant for all three commodities, the 
production of these minerals was either not highly concentrated or was 
concentrated in countries considered to be reliable trade partners. Any 
changes in the supply chain dynamics of these commodities will be 
closely monitored, but none of the three is recommended for inclusion 
on the 2021 draft list of critical minerals.
    Helium (like potash, rhenium, and strontium) was on the 2018 list 
of critical minerals but does not meet the quantitative threshold nor 
have a single point of failure. The United States is the world's 
leading producer and a net exporter of helium. Helium's trade exposure 
score was thus 0 and, in turn, its supply risk score was 0. Crude 
helium was produced in more than a dozen plants across several U.S. 
States, and several other plants produced grade-A Helium. Therefore, 
helium does not qualify for inclusion on the list based on the single 
point of failure criterion. Helium production outside the United States 
was concentrated in Qatar and Algeria. Both countries, as well as 
Canada, Russia, and Tanzania, are poised to increase their production 
as additional capacity becomes available in the near term. The Helium 
Stewardship Act of 2013-directed closure of the Federally managed 
helium reserve by the Bureau of Land Management has the potential to

[[Page 62203]]

increase uncertainty in the market. The global shift from conventional 
natural gas toward shale gas, which lacks recoverable quantities of 
helium, also has the potential to reduce the supply of helium, 
especially for the United States. While these factors make helium a 
commodity that bears watching, it is not recommended for inclusion on 
the 2021 draft list of critical minerals.
    There were insufficient data to quantitatively evaluate several 
commodities that were on the 2018 list of critical minerals: Cesium, 
rubidium, scandium, and several REEs (europium, gadolinium, terbium, 
holmium, erbium, thulium, ytterbium, and lutetium). The United States 
has been completely net import reliant for all these commodities for 
many years.\8\ No specific global production data were available for 
these commodities; however, general information suggests that 
production for each of these commodities is highly concentrated in a 
few countries. Scandium was produced mainly as a byproduct in China, 
Kazakhstan, the Philippines, Russia, and Ukraine. Cesium and rubidium 
had been produced in Australia, Canada, China, Namibia, and Zimbabwe; 
however, it is thought that all cesium and rubidium mine production 
outside of China has either ceased in recent years or come under 
control of Chinese companies. The REEs that were not analyzed because 
of the lack of data (namely europium, gadolinium, terbium, holmium, 
erbium, thulium, ytterbium, and lutetium) were all heavy REEs that were 
produced only or predominantly in China. Based on this qualitative 
evaluation, none of these commodities are recommended for removal from 
the list of critical minerals.
    Mineral criticality is not static, but changes over time. This 
analysis represents the most recent available data for non-fuel mineral 
commodities and the current state of the methodology for evaluation of 
criticality.
    Please submit written comments on this draft list by December 9, 
2021 to facilitate consideration. In particular, the U.S. Geological 
Survey is interested in comments addressing the following topics: The 
make-up of the draft list and the rationale associated with potential 
additions or subtractions to the draft list. Before including your 
address, phone number, email address, or other personally identifiable 
information (PII) in your comment, you should be aware that your entire 
comment, including your PII, may be made publicly available at any 
time. While you can ask us in your comment to withhold your PII from 
public review, we cannot guarantee that we will be able to do so.
    Authority: E.O. 13817, 82 FR 60835 (December 26, 2017) and The 
Energy Act of 2020, Section 7002 of Title VII (December 27, 2020).

    Dated: November 4, 2021.
James D. Applegate,
Associate Director for Natural Hazards, Exercising the Delegated 
Authority of the Director, U.S. Geological Survey.
[FR Doc. 2021-24488 Filed 11-8-21; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4334-63-P