Information Request on Financing Support for Critical Minerals Projects, 16564-16565 [2024-04883]

Download as PDF 16564 Federal Register / Vol. 89, No. 46 / Thursday, March 7, 2024 / Notices perform its intended function without unreasonable adverse effects on human health or the environment. As part of the registration review process, the Agency has completed proposed interim or proposed final decisions for all pesticides listed in Table 1 in Unit IV. Through this program, EPA is ensuring that each pesticide’s registration is based on current scientific and other knowledge, including its effects on human health and the environment. III. Authority EPA is conducting its registration review of the chemicals listed in Table 1 of Unit I pursuant to the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA) section 3(g) (7 U.S.C. 136a(g)) and the Procedural Regulations for Registration Review at 40 CFR part 155, subpart C. FIFRA section 3(g) provides, among other things, that pesticide registrations are to be reviewed every 15 years. Consistent with 40 CFR 155.57, in its final registration review decision, EPA will ultimately determine whether a pesticide continues to meet the registration standard in FIFRA section 3(c)(5) (7 U.S.C. 136a(c)(5)). As part of the registration review process, the Agency has completed interim or final registration review decisions for the pesticides in Table 1 of Unit IV. IV. What action is this Agency taking? Prior to completing the interim or final registration review decisions in Table 1 of Unit IV, EPA posted proposed interim decisions or proposed registration review decisions for these chemicals and invited the public to submit any comments or new information, consistent with 40 CFR 155.58(a). EPA considered and responded to any comments or information received during these public comment periods in the respective interim decision or final registration review decisions. Pursuant to 40 CFR 155.58(c), this notice announces the availability of EPA’s interim or final registration review decisions for the pesticides shown in Table 1. The interim and final registration review decisions are supported by rationales included in the docket established for each chemical. TABLE 1—INTERIM AND FINAL REGISTRATION REVIEW DECISIONS BEING ISSUED Registration review case name and No. Docket ID No. Acetaminophen, Case Number 7610 ............. khammond on DSKJM1Z7X2PROD with NOTICES Etofenprox, Case Number 7407 ..................... The registration review docket for a pesticide includes earlier documents related to the registration review case. For example, the review opened with a Preliminary Work Plan, for public comment. A Final Work Plan was placed in the docket following public comment on the Preliminary Work Plan. The documents in the dockets describe EPA’s rationales for conducting additional risk assessments for the registration review of the pesticides included in Table 1 in Unit IV, as well as the Agency’s subsequent risk findings and consideration of possible risk mitigation measures. These proposed interim and proposed final registration review decisions are supported by the rationales included in those documents. Following public comment, the Agency will issue interim or final registration review decisions for the pesticides listed in Table 1 in Unit IV. The registration review final rule at 40 CFR 155.58(a) provides for a minimum 60-day public comment period on all proposed registration review decisions. This comment period is intended to provide an opportunity for public input and a mechanism for initiating any necessary amendments to the proposed decision. All comments should be submitted using the methods in ADDRESSES and must be received by EPA on or before the closing date. These comments will become part of the docket for the pesticides included in Table 1 in Unit IV. Comments received VerDate Sep<11>2014 16:13 Mar 06, 2024 Jkt 262001 EPA–HQ–OPP–2022– 0816. EPA–HQ–OPP–2007– 0804. Chemical review manager and contact information Lauren Weissenborn, weissenborn.lauren@epa.gov, (202) 566– 2374. DeMariah Koger, koger.demariah@epa.gov, (202) 566–2288. after the close of the comment period will be marked ‘‘late.’’ EPA is not required to consider these late comments. The Agency will carefully consider all comments received by the closing date and may provide a ‘‘Response to Comments Memorandum’’ in the docket. The interim or final registration review decision will explain the effect that any comments had on the interim or final decision and provide the Agency’s response to significant comments. For additional background on the registration review program, see: https:// www.epa.gov/pesticide-reevaluation. Authority: 7 U.S.C. 136 et seq. Dated: February 29, 2024. Timothy Kiely, Acting Director, Pesticide Re-Evaluation Division, Office of Pesticide Programs. [FR Doc. 2024–04828 Filed 3–6–24; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 6560–50–P EXPORT-IMPORT BANK Information Request on Financing Support for Critical Minerals Projects Export-Import Bank of the United States. ACTION: Notice. AGENCY: To assist the Export-Import Bank of the United States (EXIM) in supporting critical minerals SUMMARY: PO 00000 Frm 00044 Fmt 4703 Sfmt 4703 transactions, which are crucial to the supply chains of several of the Congressionally mandated Transformational Export Areas in EXIM’s Charter, EXIM seeks information on the financing gaps faced by project sponsors, users of critical minerals, and suppliers to critical minerals projects. DATES: Comments are due on May 6, 2024. Interested parties may submit comments on this transaction electronically on www.regulations.gov. To submit a comment, enter ‘‘Information Request on Financing Support for Critical Minerals’’ under the heading ‘‘Enter Keyword or ID’’ and select Search. Follow the instructions provided at the Submit a Comment screen. Please include your name, company name (if any) and ‘‘Information Request on Financing Support for Critical Minerals Projects’’ on any attached document. Comments can also be sent by email or mail to Scott Condren, Scott.Condren@ exim.gov, Export-Import Bank of the United States, 811 Vermont Ave. NW, Washington, DC 20571. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: To request additional information, please contact Scott Condren, Scott.Condren@ exim.gov, 202–509–4227. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: In EXIM’s 2019 reauthorization, Congress directed the agency to create the China and Transformational Exports Program ADDRESSES: E:\FR\FM\07MRN1.SGM 07MRN1 khammond on DSKJM1Z7X2PROD with NOTICES Federal Register / Vol. 89, No. 46 / Thursday, March 7, 2024 / Notices (CTEP) and use its tools and authorities to advance the comparative leadership of the United States with respect to the People’s Republic of China (PRC), or support United States innovation, employment, and technological standards through direct exports in 10 transformational export areas. These export areas include: • Artificial intelligence. • Biotechnology. • Biomedical sciences. • Wireless communications equipment (including 5G or subsequent wireless technologies). • Quantum computing. • Renewable energy, energy efficiency, and energy storage. • Semiconductor and semiconductor machinery manufacturing. • Emerging financial technologies (including technologies that facilitate financial inclusion through increased access to capital and financial services; data security and privacy; payments, the transfer of funds, and associated messaging services; and efforts to combat money laundering and the financing of terrorism). • Water treatment and sanitation (including technologies and infrastructure to reduce contaminants and improve water quality). • High-performance computing; • Associated services necessary for use of any of the foregoing exports. Additionally, EXIM reviews over the last few years indicate that critical minerals are a crucial component of multiple transformational export areas— and the U.S. lags the PRC in the proven reserves, mining, and processing of almost all critical minerals. Thus, EXIM has prioritized critical minerals that are part of the supply chain for transformational export areas and clearly align to the capacity to produce and foreign demand for U.S. goods and services in transformational export area industries. Therefore, to understand how EXIM financing can better support U.S. exporters in this sector, diversify supply chains, and ensure access to critical minerals by U.S. users, EXIM is seeking public comment on the financing gaps stakeholders face. EXIM has identified specific questions for specific stakeholders but welcomes feedback from all relevant stakeholders not specifically identified here. (A) For U.S. exporters to critical minerals projects: (1) What part of the supply chain do you supply (e.g., mining, refining, or processing)? (2) What goods and services do you provide to such projects (e.g., services, capital equipment, intermediate components, consumables)? VerDate Sep<11>2014 16:13 Mar 06, 2024 Jkt 262001 (3) What are the financing challenges, if any, that prevent securing sales with foreign buyers? (4) Are you aware of or facing competition backed by foreign government financing? (5) If so, please identify the competition and the type of foreign government financing provided. (6) Have you previously used financing tools from the Export-Import Bank of the United States? (7) If you have not utilized EXIM financing, please explain why not (e.g., no need, fees too high, could not meet policy criteria such as content). (B) For U.S.-based users of critical minerals: (1) Which critical minerals are most important to your operations? (2) In what geographies are you most likely to seek access to those minerals? (3) Is there now or expected to be in the future competitive U.S.-based sources of those minerals? (4) What financial hurdles are there to obtaining critical minerals? Please distinguish between short-term hurdles (such as insufficient access to working capital to import specific cargos) and longer-term (such as requirements of foreign projects for large down payments in exchange for long-term supply contracts). (5) What impact does lack of access to critical minerals have on your operations, particularly regarding employment and exports? (6) To what extent are you aware of foreign competitors gaining access to critical minerals resources via foreign government support (such as lending to a foreign mine conditional on selling output to a particular company)? (7) What form does such support take? EXIM encourages respondents, when addressing the points above, unless raising other challenges to financing critical minerals transactions, to identify which point they are responding to by using the same numbers and heading as set forth above. For example, a user of critical minerals submitting comments responsive to (4), ‘‘What financial hurdles are there to obtaining critical minerals’’, would use that same text as a heading followed by the respondent’s specific comments responding to it. This formatting will assist EXIM in more easily reviewing and summarizing the comments received in response to these specific points of inquiry. Scott Condren, Vice President, Policy Analysis Division, Office of Policy Analysis and International Relations. [FR Doc. 2024–04883 Filed 3–6–24; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 6690–01–P PO 00000 Frm 00045 Fmt 4703 Sfmt 4703 16565 FEDERAL COMMUNICATIONS COMMISSION [OMB 3060–1214; FR ID 205909] Information Collection Being Submitted for Review and Approval to Office of Management and Budget Federal Communications Commission. ACTION: Notice and request for comments. AGENCY: As part of its continuing effort to reduce paperwork burdens, as required by the Paperwork Reduction Act (PRA) of 1995, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC or the Commission) invites the general public and other Federal Agencies to take this opportunity to comment on the following information collection. Pursuant to the Small Business Paperwork Relief Act of 2002, the FCC seeks specific comment on how it might ‘‘further reduce the information collection burden for small business concerns with fewer than 25 employees.’’ The Commission may not conduct or sponsor a collection of information unless it displays a currently valid Office of Management and Budget (OMB) control number. No person shall be subject to any penalty for failing to comply with a collection of information subject to the PRA that does not display a valid OMB control number. DATES: Written comments and recommendations for the proposed information collection should be submitted on or before April 8, 2024. ADDRESSES: Comments should be sent to www.reginfo.gov/public/do/PRAMain. Find this particular information collection by selecting ‘‘Currently under 30-day Review—Open for Public Comments’’ or by using the search function. Your comment must be submitted into www.reginfo.gov per the above instructions for it to be considered. In addition to submitting in www.reginfo.gov also send a copy of your comment on the proposed information collection to Nicole Ongele, FCC, via email to PRA@fcc.gov and to Nicole.Ongele@fcc.gov. Include in the comments the OMB control number as shown in the SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION below. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For additional information or copies of the information collection, contact Nicole Ongele at (202) 418–2991. To view a copy of this information collection request (ICR) submitted to OMB: (1) go to the web page https://www.reginfo.gov/ public/do/PRAMain, (2) look for the SUMMARY: E:\FR\FM\07MRN1.SGM 07MRN1

Agencies

[Federal Register Volume 89, Number 46 (Thursday, March 7, 2024)]
[Notices]
[Pages 16564-16565]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2024-04883]


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EXPORT-IMPORT BANK


Information Request on Financing Support for Critical Minerals 
Projects

AGENCY: Export-Import Bank of the United States.

ACTION: Notice.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

SUMMARY: To assist the Export-Import Bank of the United States (EXIM) 
in supporting critical minerals transactions, which are crucial to the 
supply chains of several of the Congressionally mandated 
Transformational Export Areas in EXIM's Charter, EXIM seeks information 
on the financing gaps faced by project sponsors, users of critical 
minerals, and suppliers to critical minerals projects.

DATES: Comments are due on May 6, 2024.

ADDRESSES: Interested parties may submit comments on this transaction 
electronically on www.regulations.gov. To submit a comment, enter 
``Information Request on Financing Support for Critical Minerals'' 
under the heading ``Enter Keyword or ID'' and select Search. Follow the 
instructions provided at the Submit a Comment screen. Please include 
your name, company name (if any) and ``Information Request on Financing 
Support for Critical Minerals Projects'' on any attached document. 
Comments can also be sent by email or mail to Scott Condren, 
[email protected], Export-Import Bank of the United States, 811 
Vermont Ave. NW, Washington, DC 20571.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: To request additional information, 
please contact Scott Condren, [email protected], 202-509-4227.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: In EXIM's 2019 reauthorization, Congress 
directed the agency to create the China and Transformational Exports 
Program

[[Page 16565]]

(CTEP) and use its tools and authorities to advance the comparative 
leadership of the United States with respect to the People's Republic 
of China (PRC), or support United States innovation, employment, and 
technological standards through direct exports in 10 transformational 
export areas. These export areas include:
     Artificial intelligence.
     Biotechnology.
     Biomedical sciences.
     Wireless communications equipment (including 5G or 
subsequent wireless technologies).
     Quantum computing.
     Renewable energy, energy efficiency, and energy storage.
     Semiconductor and semiconductor machinery manufacturing.
     Emerging financial technologies (including technologies 
that facilitate financial inclusion through increased access to capital 
and financial services; data security and privacy; payments, the 
transfer of funds, and associated messaging services; and efforts to 
combat money laundering and the financing of terrorism).
     Water treatment and sanitation (including technologies and 
infrastructure to reduce contaminants and improve water quality).
     High-performance computing;
     Associated services necessary for use of any of the 
foregoing exports.
    Additionally, EXIM reviews over the last few years indicate that 
critical minerals are a crucial component of multiple transformational 
export areas--and the U.S. lags the PRC in the proven reserves, mining, 
and processing of almost all critical minerals. Thus, EXIM has 
prioritized critical minerals that are part of the supply chain for 
transformational export areas and clearly align to the capacity to 
produce and foreign demand for U.S. goods and services in 
transformational export area industries.
    Therefore, to understand how EXIM financing can better support U.S. 
exporters in this sector, diversify supply chains, and ensure access to 
critical minerals by U.S. users, EXIM is seeking public comment on the 
financing gaps stakeholders face. EXIM has identified specific 
questions for specific stakeholders but welcomes feedback from all 
relevant stakeholders not specifically identified here.
    (A) For U.S. exporters to critical minerals projects:
    (1) What part of the supply chain do you supply (e.g., mining, 
refining, or processing)?
    (2) What goods and services do you provide to such projects (e.g., 
services, capital equipment, intermediate components, consumables)?
    (3) What are the financing challenges, if any, that prevent 
securing sales with foreign buyers?
    (4) Are you aware of or facing competition backed by foreign 
government financing?
    (5) If so, please identify the competition and the type of foreign 
government financing provided.
    (6) Have you previously used financing tools from the Export-Import 
Bank of the United States?
    (7) If you have not utilized EXIM financing, please explain why not 
(e.g., no need, fees too high, could not meet policy criteria such as 
content).
    (B) For U.S.-based users of critical minerals:
    (1) Which critical minerals are most important to your operations?
    (2) In what geographies are you most likely to seek access to those 
minerals?
    (3) Is there now or expected to be in the future competitive U.S.-
based sources of those minerals?
    (4) What financial hurdles are there to obtaining critical 
minerals? Please distinguish between short-term hurdles (such as 
insufficient access to working capital to import specific cargos) and 
longer-term (such as requirements of foreign projects for large down 
payments in exchange for long-term supply contracts).
    (5) What impact does lack of access to critical minerals have on 
your operations, particularly regarding employment and exports?
    (6) To what extent are you aware of foreign competitors gaining 
access to critical minerals resources via foreign government support 
(such as lending to a foreign mine conditional on selling output to a 
particular company)?
    (7) What form does such support take?
    EXIM encourages respondents, when addressing the points above, 
unless raising other challenges to financing critical minerals 
transactions, to identify which point they are responding to by using 
the same numbers and heading as set forth above. For example, a user of 
critical minerals submitting comments responsive to (4), ``What 
financial hurdles are there to obtaining critical minerals'', would use 
that same text as a heading followed by the respondent's specific 
comments responding to it. This formatting will assist EXIM in more 
easily reviewing and summarizing the comments received in response to 
these specific points of inquiry.

Scott Condren,
Vice President, Policy Analysis Division, Office of Policy Analysis and 
International Relations.
[FR Doc. 2024-04883 Filed 3-6-24; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6690-01-P
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