Notice2025-23795
Deep Seabed Mining: Notice of Receipt of Applications for Deep Seabed Mining Exploration Licenses and Announcement of Public Comment Period and Virtual Public Hearings
Primary source
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Published
December 23, 2025
Issuing agencies
Commerce DepartmentNational Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
Abstract
Pursuant to the Deep Seabed Hard Mineral Resources Act (DSHMRA or the Act), notice is hereby given that NOAA received, on July 27, 2025, an amended application from The Metals Company USA, LLC (TMC USA) for a license to conduct seabed mining exploration activities within the seabed area beyond national jurisdiction generally known as the Clarion-Clipperton Zone (TMC USA Application A). NOAA received a second amended application from TMC USA on July 28, 2025 (TMC USA Application B). NOAA has determined that these applications are fully compliant with the applicable information requirements of DSHMRA and the Act's implementing regulations. Subject to applicable public disclosure limitations, interested persons are afforded the opportunity to examine the materials relevant to these applications and may submit written comments to NOAA electronically via the instructions below. These applications are electronically available at the locations listed below under ADDRESSES. Please note that the statements made in the TMC USA applications do not necessarily reflect the views of NOAA or the views of the U.S. Government. As part of the application review process, NOAA will also hold two virtual public hearings to receive oral public comments on these applications.
Full Text
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<title>Federal Register, Volume 90 Issue 244 (Tuesday, December 23, 2025)</title>
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[Federal Register Volume 90, Number 244 (Tuesday, December 23, 2025)]
[Notices]
[Pages 60064-60065]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [<a href="http://www.gpo.gov">www.gpo.gov</a>]
[FR Doc No: 2025-23795]
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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
[Docket Nos.: NOAA-NOS-2025-0702; NOAA-NOS-2025-1330]
RIN 0648-XA003
Deep Seabed Mining: Notice of Receipt of Applications for Deep
Seabed Mining Exploration Licenses and Announcement of Public Comment
Period and Virtual Public Hearings
AGENCY: Office for Coastal Management, National Ocean Service, National
Oceanic Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Department of Commerce.
ACTION: Notice of receipt of applications for deep seabed mining
exploration licenses; request for comments; notice of virtual public
hearing.
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SUMMARY: Pursuant to the Deep Seabed Hard Mineral Resources Act (DSHMRA
or the Act), notice is hereby given that NOAA received, on July 27,
2025, an amended application from The Metals Company USA, LLC (TMC USA)
for a license to conduct seabed mining exploration activities within
the seabed area beyond national jurisdiction generally known as the
Clarion-Clipperton Zone (TMC USA Application A). NOAA received a second
amended application from TMC USA on July 28, 2025 (TMC USA Application
B). NOAA has determined that these applications are fully compliant
with the applicable information requirements of DSHMRA and the Act's
implementing regulations. Subject to applicable public disclosure
limitations, interested persons are afforded the opportunity to examine
the materials relevant to these applications and may submit written
comments to NOAA electronically via the instructions below. These
applications are electronically available at the locations listed below
under ADDRESSES. Please note that the statements made in the TMC USA
applications do not necessarily reflect the views of NOAA
[[Page 60065]]
or the views of the U.S. Government. As part of the application review
process, NOAA will also hold two virtual public hearings to receive
oral public comments on these applications.
DATES: Comments on the applications must be received by February 23,
2026. The virtual public hearings are scheduled for January 27, 2026,
and January 28, 2026, from 3 p.m. to 7 p.m. Eastern Time each day.
Instructions for attending the virtual public hearings are provided
below.
ADDRESSES: The TMC USA Application A is electronically available at
<a href="https://www.regulations.gov/docket/NOAA-NOS-2025-0702">https://www.regulations.gov/docket/NOAA-NOS-2025-0702</a>; The TMC USA
Application B is electronically available at <a href="https://www.regulations.gov/docket/NOAA-NOS-2025-1330">https://www.regulations.gov/docket/NOAA-NOS-2025-1330</a>.
You may send comments, identified by docket number, by either of
the following means:
Written Comments
Comments must be submitted by the date and electronic method
described below to ensure that the comments are received, documented,
and considered by NOAA. Comments sent by any other method, to any other
address or individual, or received after the end of the comment period,
may not be considered. Comments that are not related to the
applications or that contain profanity, vulgarity, threats, or other
inappropriate language will not be considered. To ensure full
consideration by NOAA, comments must be submitted in English. Comments
that are not submitted in English may not be posted to the public
dockets on <a href="http://regulations.gov">regulations.gov</a>, or considered by NOAA. All relevant
comments received are a part of the public record and will generally be
posted for public viewing on <a href="http://www.regulations.gov">www.regulations.gov</a> without change. All
personal identifying information (e.g., name, address) submitted
voluntarily by the sender will be publicly accessible. Do not submit
confidential business information or otherwise sensitive or protected
information. NOAA will accept anonymous comments (enter ``N/A'' in the
required fields if you wish to remain anonymous).
<bullet> For TMC USA Application A, submit all public written
comments via the Federal <a href="http://regulations.gov">regulations.gov</a> e-Portal at <a href="https://www.regulations.gov/docket/NOAA-NOS-2025-0702">https://www.regulations.gov/docket/NOAA-NOS-2025-0702</a> or go to
<a href="http://www.regulations.gov">www.regulations.gov</a> and enter ``NOAA-NOS-2025-0702'' in the search bar.
<bullet> For TMC USA Application B, submit all public written
comments via the Federal <a href="http://regulations.gov">regulations.gov</a> e-Portal at <a href="https://www.regulations.gov/docket/NOAA-NOS-2025-1330">https://www.regulations.gov/docket/NOAA-NOS-2025-1330</a> or go to
<a href="http://www.regulations.gov">www.regulations.gov</a> and enter ``NOAA-NOS-2025-1330'' in the search bar.
For each docket, locate the document you wish to comment on from
the resulting list and click on the ``Submit a comment'' icon on the
right of that line. Please note that comments will only be considered
for the docket to which they are submitted. If your comment is in
response to both TMC USA Application A and TMC USA Application B, you
must submit two comments, one to each docket.
Oral Comments
You may submit oral comments for either or both applications (TMC
USA Application A and/or TMC USA Application B) at either virtual
public hearing. At the virtual public hearings, you will be asked to
specify whether your comment is in reference to TMC USA Application A,
TMC USA Application B, or both.
NOAA will conduct the virtual public hearings via Adobe Connect.
Each person who wants to attend either virtual public hearing must
electronically register by January 21, 2026, 5 p.m. Eastern Time.
Attendance at each virtual public hearing will be limited to 1,000
individuals for each of the two dates; therefore, NOAA requests that
individuals register and attend only one hearing, on either January 27
or January 28, 2026. To register for either hearing, use the following
link: <a href="https://noaabroadcast.adobeconnect.com/evxcqr87egzq/event/event_info.html">https://noaabroadcast.adobeconnect.com/evxcqr87egzq/event/event_info.html</a>. Any person who registers and wants to speak at a
virtual public hearing should indicate that they want to speak during
registration. Each registered participant will receive an Adobe Connect
link for the virtual public hearing.
Once the virtual public hearing starts, NOAA will describe the
virtual public hearing logistics. NOAA will then start the public
comment part of the virtual public hearing and will call on speakers on
a first come/first served basis through the raised hand function of
Adobe Connect. NOAA will then unmute the person speaking. Each speaker
will have three minutes to speak on either or both applications (TMC
USA Application A and/or TMC USA Application B). If a speaker does not
respond when they are called on, NOAA will move to the next speaker. At
the three-minute mark for each speaker, NOAA will mute that speaker.
Speakers cannot allot their time to another speaker. Once all speakers
have spoken, or at the scheduled end of the virtual public hearing,
whichever is earlier, NOAA will end the virtual public hearing. NOAA
retains discretion to extend the virtual public hearing if appropriate
and feasible. NOAA will record each hearing and will include
transcripts of the hearings on the public dockets for each of the TMC
USA Applications on the <a href="http://regulations.gov">regulations.gov</a> website at <a href="https://www.regulations.gov/docket/NOAA-NOS-2025-0702">https://www.regulations.gov/docket/NOAA-NOS-2025-0702</a> for TMC USA Application A
and at <a href="https://www.regulations.gov/docket/NOAA-NOS-2025-1330">https://www.regulations.gov/docket/NOAA-NOS-2025-1330</a> for TMC
USA Application B. The names provided by each speaker will also be
published as part of the transcripts.
The virtual public hearings do not replace the process for
submission of written comments. NOAA will not respond during the
hearings to oral comments or questions. To ensure full consideration by
NOAA, oral comments must be in English. Comments that are not in
English may not be transcribed or considered by NOAA.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Kerry Kehoe, (240) 560-8518,
<a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#4e252b3c3c3760252b26212b0e20212f2f60292138"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="254e4057575c0b4e404d4a40654b4a44440b424a53">[email protected]</span></a>.
Authority: 30 U.S.C. 1426(a)(1).
Neil A. Jacobs,
Under Secretary of Commerce for Oceans and Atmosphere and NOAA
Administrator National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
[FR Doc. 2025-23795 Filed 12-19-25; 4:15 pm]
BILLING CODE 3510-22-P
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