Interior Department Proposed Rule

2019-22535: Non-Energy Solid Leasable Minerals Royalty Rate Reduction Process

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Public comment closed .

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Summary

The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) proposes to amend its regulations to revise the process for lessees to seek and for the BLM to grant reductions of rental fees, royalty rates, and/or minimum production requirements associated with non-energy solid leasable minerals. The proposed rule would streamline the process for such reductions for non-energy solid minerals leased by the Federal Government and would codify the BLM's authority to issue an area- or industry-wide reduction on its own initiative. Existing regulatory requirements are overly restrictive, inflexible, and burdensome. A report from the Senate Committee on Appropriations on the 2019 Department of the Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies Appropriations Bill encouraged the BLM to work with soda ash producers to reduce the Federal royalty rate, as appropriate. The proposed rule would give the BLM more flexibility to respond to changing market dynamics by improving the BLM's ability to boost production and support development of the Federal mineral estate when deemed necessary.

The agency’s own summary, as published.

What this changes

Amends 1 part of the Code of Federal Regulations — the standing rules this notice rewrites.

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