Data / Federal rules / 2025-12513

Deep Seabed Mining: Revisions to Regulations for Exploration License and Commercial Recovery Permit Applications

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration published this proposed rule in the Federal Register on July 7, 2025. Comments closed on September 5, 2025.

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What the agency says

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.

Key facts

Document number: 2025-12513
Type: Proposed rule
Action: Proposed rule; request for comments
Agency: Commerce Department; National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
Published: July 7, 2025
Comments due: September 5, 2025
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.
Docket: Docket No. 250630-0118
Regulation ID (RIN): 0648-BN96
Code of Federal Regulations: 15 CFR 970; 15 CFR 971
Topics: Administrative practice and procedure; Marine resources; Mineral resources
Significant: Yes, under Executive Order 12866
Pages: 12

The document on federalregister.gov PDF

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Everything from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration · Rules on administrative practice and procedure · Rules on marine resources · Rules on mineral resources · Published in July 2025

Read from the Federal Register API, last updated 2026-10-24. The document on federalregister.gov is the official record; dates and dockets can change through later corrections. Free to reuse with credit to SpecStream under CC BY 4.0.