[Federal Register Volume 87, Number 135 (Friday, July 15, 2022)]
[Notices]
[Pages 42492-42493]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2022-15114]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Office of the Secretary

[Docket No. DO1-2022-0003; 223D0102DM, DS6CS00000, DLSN00000.000000, 
DX.6CS25]


Request for Information To Inform Interagency Working Group on 
Mining Regulations, Laws, and Permitting

AGENCY: Department of the Interior.

ACTION: Notice of public listening sessions and extension of public 
comment period.

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SUMMARY: The Department of the Interior is announcing the dates of 
public listening sessions the Interagency Working Group on Mining 
Regulations, Laws, and Permitting is holding to gather information and 
develop recommendations for improving Federal hardrock mining 
regulations, laws, and permitting processes. We are also extending the 
comment period on our March 31, 2022, request for information notice 
announcing the formation of an interagency working group to gather 
information and develop recommendations for improving Federal hardrock 
mining regulations, laws, and permitting processes.

DATES: The public comment period on our request for information notice 
that published on March 31, 2022, at 86 FR 18811 is extended. 
Interested persons are invited to submit comments by 11:59 p.m. August 
30, 2022.
    The interagency group will host virtual public listening sessions 
at the dates and times below.

 12:00 p.m.-1:30 p.m. ET Tuesday, July 19th
 1:00 p.m.-2:30 p.m. ET Thursday, July 21st
 1:00 p.m.-2:30 p.m. ET Tuesday, July 26th

    Please register at the following link to receive further 
communication regarding the details of the listening session, including 
an invite.

https://blm.zoomgov.com/webinar/register/WN_7aYgS_MQQpSTKRoB88n03A
https://blm.zoomgov.com/webinar/register/WN_DECbin4eQ_CwYEpEOM3lpQ
https://blm.zoomgov.com/webinar/register/WN_KUjEwhI-Q5qB2ZGYtBbMYA

    Listening sessions may end before the time noted above if all those 
participating have completed their oral comments.

ADDRESSES: Comments may be submitted through https://www.regulations.gov and will be available for public viewing and 
inspection. In the Search box, enter the docket number presented above 
in the document headings. For best results, do not copy and paste the 
number; instead, type the docket number into the Search box using 
hyphens. Then, click on the Search button. You may submit a comment by 
clicking on ``Comment.'' Comments may also be submitted by mail using 
the following address: Bureau of Land Management, Division of Solid 
Minerals, 1849 C Street NW, Room 5645, Washington, DC 20240.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Steven Feldgus, Deputy Assistant 
Secretary, Land and Minerals Management, (202) 208-6734, or by email at 
[email protected]. Individuals in the United States who are 
deaf, deafblind, hard of hearing, or have a speech disability may dial 
711 (TTY, TDD, or TeleBraille) to access telecommunications relay 
services for contacting Mr. Feldgus. Individuals outside the United 
States should use the relay services offered within their country to 
make international calls to the point-of-contact in the United States.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: On February 24, 2021, President Biden signed 
Executive Order (E.O.) 14017, ``America's Supply Chains.'' On June 8, 
2021, the White House released the 100-Day reviews directed by E.O. 
14017, which included a recommendation for the Federal government to 
establish ``an interagency team with expertise in mine permitting and 
environmental law to identify gaps in statutes and regulations that may 
need to be updated to ensure new production meets strong environmental 
standards throughout the lifecycle of the project; ensure meaningful 
community consultation and consultation with tribal nations, respecting 
the government-to-government relationship, at all stages of the mining 
process; and examine opportunities to reduce time, cost, and risk of 
permitting without compromising these strong environmental and 
consultation benchmarks.'' \1\
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    \1\ The White House, Building Resilient Supply Chains, 
Revitalizing American Manufacturing, and Fostering Broad-Based 
Growth, June 2021, p. 14. https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/statements-releases/2021/06/08/fact-sheet-biden-harris-administration-announces-supply-chain-disruptions-task-force-to-address-short-term-supply-chain-discontinuities/.
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    On September 16, 2021, the Department of the Interior (Department) 
received a petition for rulemaking pursuant to the Department's 
regulations at 43 CFR part 14 from 9 Tribal and 31 conservation groups 
requesting ``a rulemaking to strengthen and modernize [the Bureau of 
Land Management's] regulations at 43 CFR part 3800 et seq.''
    On November 15, 2021, President Biden signed the Infrastructure 
Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA); section 40206 of the IIJA, ``Critical 
Minerals Supply Chains and Reliability,'' directs the Secretaries of 
the Interior and Agriculture to submit a report to Congress by November 
15, 2022, that ``identifies additional measures, including regulatory 
and legislative proposals, if appropriate, that would increase the 
timeliness of permitting activities for the exploration and development 
of domestic critical minerals.''
    To respond to these directives and the rulemaking petition, the 
Department has created an interagency working group (IWG) on Federal 
hardrock mining laws, regulations, and permitting, chaired by the 
Department and including the Department of Agriculture through the U.S. 
Forest Service; the Environmental

[[Page 42493]]

Protection Agency; the Army Corps of Engineers; the Departments of 
Commerce, Energy, Defense, and State; the Council on Environmental 
Quality; and the National Economic Council. For the purposes of the 
IWG, ``hardrock'' minerals are those mineral resources that are subject 
to disposal under the Mining Law of 1872.
    Before including your address, phone number, email address, or 
other personal identifying information in your comment, you should be 
aware that your entire comment--including your personal identifying 
information--may be made publicly available at any time. While you can 
ask us in your comment to withhold your personal identifying 
information from public review, we cannot guarantee that we will be 
able to do so.

Tommy Beaudreau,
Deputy Secretary, U.S. Department of the Interior.
[FR Doc. 2022-15114 Filed 7-14-22; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4334-63-P