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OMB Control No: 0648-0145	ICR Reference No: 202506-0648-004
Status: Received in OIRA	Previous ICR Reference No: 202409-0648-009
Agency/Subagency: DOC/NOAA	Agency Tracking No:
Title: Deep Seabed Mining Regulations
Type of Information Collection: Revision of a currently approved collection	Common Form ICR: No
Type of Review Request: Regular	Date Submitted to OIRA: 07/08/2025

	Requested	Previously Approved
Expiration Date	36 Months From Approved	03/31/2028
Responses	16	2
Time Burden (Hours)	4,155	270
Cost Burden (Dollars)	676,358	0

Abstract: The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA’s) National Ocean Service (NOS) requests extension and revision of this currently approved information collection that contains requirements under the Deep Seabed Hard Mineral Resources Act (DSHMRA). This collection is being revised pursuant to a proposed rule (RIN 0648-BN96) which would, if finalized, revise the DSHMRA regulations for exploration license and commercial recovery permits to add a new, alternative procedure whereby interested and qualified U.S. citizens may submit a consolidated application to concurrently apply for a license and permit under DSHMRA. Further, the information collection is being revised due to the likely future need to begin collecting permit applications, as well as annual reports related to permit compliance. This information collection is for the purpose of the receipt and maintenance of exploration licenses and commercial recovery permits required by the Deep Seabed Hard Mineral Resources Act (DSHMRA) (30 U.S.C. §§ 1401-1473). NOAA’s regulations at 15 CFR Part 970 (exploration licenses) and 15 CFR Part 971 (commercial recovery permits) govern the issuance and maintenance of DSHMRA licenses and permits. The NOAA Administrator approves or denies DSHMRA licenses and permits. The NOAA Administrator has delegated to the NOS Assistant Administrator and the NOS’ Office for Coastal Management responsibility for processing DSHMRA licenses and permits for the NOAA Administrator’s consideration and decisions. License and permit applicants must submit information to ensure that the applicant meets the DSHMRA licensing and permitting standards. Licensees and permittees are required to conduct monitoring and make reports, including annual reports regarding the licensee’s or permittee’s conformance to the schedule of activities and expenditures contained in the license or permit, and may request revisions, transfers, or extensions of licenses and permits. Information required for the issuance, revision, transfer, and extension of licenses and permits ensures that the Administrator is able to make determinations on the findings set forth in 30 U.S.C. 1413(c) and 30 U.S.C. 1415(a) and the factors set forth in the DSHMRA regulations. These findings and factors include that license and permit applicants have identified areas of interest for deep seabed hard mineral exploration and production; developed plans for those activities; have the financial resources available to conduct proposed activities; and have considered the effects of the activities on the natural and human environment. This information is used to determine whether licenses and permits should be issued, revised, transferred, or extended. Exploration licenses and commercial recovery permits under DSHMRA are only for activities by U.S. citizens in waters beyond national jurisdiction. NOAA has received several applications recently and anticipates receiving additional applications. The licenses and permits are subject to annual reporting requirements and may be subject to extension requests (every five years for exploration licenses, or every twenty years for commercial recovery permits).

Authorizing Statute(s): US Code: 30 USC 1401-1473 Name of Law: Deep Seabed Hard Mineral Resources Act
PL: Pub.L. 96 - 283 102, 105, 113, 114 Name of Law: Deep Seabed Hard Mineral Resources Act

Citations for New Statutory Requirements: None

Associated Rulemaking Information
RIN:	Stage of Rulemaking:	Federal Register Citation:	Date:
0648-BN96	Proposed rulemaking	90 FR 29806	07/07/2025

Federal Register Notices & Comments
Did the Agency receive public comments on this ICR? No

ICR Summary of Burden

	Total Request	Previously Approved	Change Due to Agency Discretion	Change Due to Adjustment in Estimate
Annual Number of Responses	16	2	1	13
Annual Time Burden (Hours)	4,155	270	1,125	2,760
Annual Cost Burden (Dollars)	676,358	0	350,000	326,358

Burden increases because of Program Change due to Agency Discretion: Yes

Burden Increase Due to: Changing Regulations

Burden decreases because of Program Change due to Agency Discretion: No

Burden Reduction Due to:

Short Statement: Regulations are being updated to include a new consolidated exploration license and commercial recovery permit. A deep dive into this information collection found that many of the regulatory requirements were not previously captured in ROCIS, partially because so few licenses/permits have been requested and because extension and transfer requests only occur once every 5, 10, or 20 years. The numbers in ROCIS for extensions and transfer requests have been annualized to better reflect the actual annual burden. Additionally, the costs to the federal government greatly increased due to a better understanding of the requirements for this collection.

Annual Cost to Federal Government: $2,276,249

Does this IC contain surveys, censuses, or employ statistical methods? No

Does this ICR request any personally identifiable information (see OMB Circular No. A-130 for an explanation of this term)? Please consult with your agency's privacy program when making this determination. No

Does this ICR include a form that requires a Privacy Act Statement (see 5 U.S.C. §552a(e)(3))? Please consult with your agency's privacy program when making this determination. No

Is this ICR related to the Affordable Care Act [Pub. L. 111-148 & 111-152]? No

Is this ICR related to the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act, [Pub. L. 111-203]? No

Is this ICR related to the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA)? No

Is this ICR related to the Pandemic Response? No

Agency Contact: Kerry Kehoe 301 713-3155 ext. 151

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