BLM proposed to revise its oil and gas leasing regulations to reflect provisions of the Inflation Reduction Act pertaining to royalty rates, rentals, and minimum bids; update the bonding requirements for leasing, development, and production; improve its leasing process to ensure proper stewardship of public lands and resources; and modify operating requirements.

EPA announced the availability of and seeks comment on draft guidance to expand the availability of virucidal claims for antimicrobial pesticides and provide framework for registrants who seek to make such claims.

The Mine Safety and Health Administration proposed to amend its existing regulations to better protect mine workers against occupational exposure to respirable crystalline silica, a carcinogenic hazard, and to improve respiratory protection for all airborne hazards.

USDA, on behalf of the Administration’s Greenhouse Gas Monitoring and Measurement Interagency Working Group (GHG IWG), seeks comment on the draft interagency report entitled, Federal Strategy to Advance Greenhouse Gas Measurement and Monitoring for the Agriculture and Forest Sectors (Strategy), to inform the GHG IWG, and agencies' planning and implementation of an agriculture and forestry monitoring, measurement, reporting, and verification framework and near-term activities.

The Natural Resources Conservation Service proposed and seeks comment on changes to certain conservation practice standards in the National Handbook of Conservation Practices.

The Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration proposed amendments to its hazardous materials regulations to require all railroads to generate in electronic form, maintain, and provide to first responders, emergency response officials, and law enforcement personnel, certain information regarding hazardous materials in rail transportation to enhance emergency response and investigative efforts.

EPA seeks comment on the draft Cumulative Risk Assessment (CRA) Guidelines for Planning and Problem Formulation, which describe steps for the planning and problem formulation of CRAs and offer guidelines for when they could be appropriate.

The Forest Service proposed new regulations to impose new fees to recover the agency’s costs for processing proposals related to mineral activity on National Forest System lands.

BLM withdrew approximately 336,404.42 acres of public lands surrounding Chaco Culture National Historical Park from location and entry under U.S. mining laws and from leasing under mineral leasing laws, but not mineral materials laws, subject to valid existing rights, to protect these public lands and the greater connected landscape with a rich Puebloan, Tribal Nation, and cultural legacy in San Juan, Sandoval, and McKinley counties, New Mexico, for a period of 20 years.

The Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration proposed regulatory amendments that implement congressional mandates in the Protecting our Infrastructure of Pipelines and Enhancing Safety Act of 2020 to reduce methane emissions from new and existing gas transmission lines, distribution pipelines, regulated gas gathering pipelines, underground natural gas storage facilities, and liquefied natural gas facilities.