730 Federal Register / Vol. 89, No. 4 / Friday, January 5, 2024 / Proposed Rules 

Executive Order 12866 

This proposed rule is not a significant 

regulatory action as defined by 

Executive Order 12866, as amended. 

Therefore, it requires no regulatory 

assessment. 

List of Subjects in 27 CFR Part 9 

Wine. 

Proposed Regulatory Amendment 

For the reasons discussed in the 

preamble, we propose to amend title 27, 

chapter I, part 9, Code of Federal 

Regulations, as follows: 

PART 9—AMERICAN VITICULTURAL 

AREAS 

■ 1. The authority citation for part 9 

continues to read as follows: 

Authority: 27 U.S.C. 205. 

Subpart C—Approved American 

Viticultural Areas 

■ 2. Add § 9.ll to read as follows: 

§ 9.ll Conneaut Creek. 

(a) Name. The name of the viticultural 

area described in this section is 

‘‘Conneaut Creek’’. For purposes of part 

4 of this chapter, ‘‘Conneaut Creek’’ is 

a term of viticultural significance. 

(b) Approved maps. The 4 United 

States Geological Survey (USGS) 

1:24,000 scale topographic map used to 

determine the boundary of the 

viticultural area are as follows: 

(1) Conneaut, OH-PA, 2019; 

(2) North Kingsville, OH, 2019; 

(3) Gageville, OH, 2019; and 

(4) Pierpoint, OH, 2019. 

(c) Boundary. The Conneaut Creek 

viticultural area is located in Ashtabula 

County, Ohio. The boundary of the 

Conneaut Creek viticultural area is as 

described as follows: 

(1) The beginning point is on the 

Conneaut map at the intersection of the 

Ohio-Pennsylvania State line and 

Conneaut Creek. 

(2) From the beginning point, proceed 

westerly, then easterly, then northerly 

along Conneaut Creek, crossing onto the 

North Kingsville map and back onto the 

Conneaut map, to the point where 

Conneaut Creek flows into Lake Erie. 

(3) The Conneaut Creek viticultural 

area consists of all land within 2 statute 

miles of Conneaut Creek on the 

Conneaut, North Kingsville, Gageville, 

and Pierpoint maps. 

Signed: December 19, 2023. 

Mary G. Ryan, 

Administrator. 

Approved: December 20, 2023. 

Thomas C. West, Jr., 

Deputy Assistant Secretary (Tax Policy). 

[FR Doc. 2024–00059 Filed 1–4–24; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4810–31–P 

DEPARTMENT OF THE TREASURY 

Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade 

Bureau 

27 CFR Part 9 

[Docket No. TTB–2023–0009; Notice No. 

227] 

RIN 1513–AC80 

Proposed Renaming of the Mendocino 

Ridge Viticultural Area 

AGENCY: Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and 

Trade Bureau, Treasury. 

ACTION: Notice of proposed rulemaking. 

SUMMARY: The Alcohol and Tobacco Tax 

and Trade Bureau (TTB) proposes to 

rename the established ‘‘Mendocino 

Ridge’’ American viticultural area 

(AVA) in Mendocino County, California, 

as ‘‘Mendocino Coast Ridge.’’ The 

proposed name change would not affect 

the size or boundary description of the 

AVA. TTB designates viticultural areas 

to allow vintners to better describe the 

origin of their wines and to allow 

consumers to better identify wines they 

may purchase. TTB invites comments 

on this proposal. 

DATES: TTB must receive your 

comments on or before March 5, 2024. 

ADDRESSES: You may electronically 

submit comments to TTB on this 

proposal using the comment form for 

this document as posted within Docket 

No. TTB–2023–0009 on the 

‘‘Regulations.gov’’ website at https://

www.regulations.gov. Within that 

docket, you also may view copies of this 

document, its supporting materials, and 

any comments TTB receives on this 

proposal. A direct link to that docket is 

available on the TTB website at https:// 

www.ttb.gov/wine/notices-of-proposedrulemaking under Notice No. 227. 

Alternatively, you may submit 

comments via postal mail to the 

Director, Regulations and Ruling 

Division, Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and 

Trade Bureau, 1310 G Street NW, Box 

12, Washington, DC 20005. Please see 

the Public Participation section below 

for further information on the comments 

requested regarding this proposal and 

on the submission, confidentiality, and 

public disclosure of comments. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Karen A. Thornton, Regulations and 

Rulings Division, Alcohol and Tobacco 

Tax and Trade Bureau, 1310 G Street 

NW, Box 12, Washington, DC 20005; 

phone 202–453–1039, ext. 175. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

Background on Viticultural Areas 

TTB Authority 

Section 105(e) of the Federal Alcohol 

Administration Act (FAA Act), 27 

U.S.C. 205(e), authorizes the Secretary 

of the Treasury to prescribe regulations 

for the labeling of wine, distilled spirits, 

and malt beverages. The FAA Act 

provides that these regulations should, 

among other things, prohibit consumer 

deception and the use of misleading 

statements on labels, and ensure that 

labels provide the consumer with 

adequate information as to the identity 

and quality of the product. The Alcohol 

and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau 

(TTB) administers the FAA Act 

pursuant to section 1111(d) of the 

Homeland Security Act of 2002, 

codified at 6 U.S.C. 531(d). The 

Secretary has delegated the functions 

and duties in the administration and 

enforcement of these provisions to the 

TTB Administrator through Treasury 

Order 120–01. 

Part 4 of the TTB regulations (27 CFR 

part 4) authorizes TTB to establish 

definitive viticultural areas and regulate 

the use of their names as appellations of 

origin on wine labels and in wine 

advertisements. Part 9 of the TTB 

regulations (27 CFR part 9) sets forth 

standards for the preparation and 

submission of petitions for the 

establishment or modification of 

American viticultural areas (AVAs), 

including changes to AVA names, and 

lists the approved AVAs. 

Definition 

Section 4.25(e)(1)(i) of the TTB 

regulations (27 CFR 4.25(e)(1)(i)) defines 

a viticultural area for American wine as 

a delimited grape-growing region having 

distinguishing features, as described in 

part 9 of the regulations, and a name 

and a delineated boundary, as 

established in part 9 of the regulations. 

These designations allow vintners and 

consumers to attribute a given quality, 

reputation, or other characteristic of a 

wine made from grapes grown in an area 

to its geographic origin. The 

establishment of AVAs allows vintners 

to describe more accurately the origin of 

their wines to consumers and helps 

consumers to identify wines they may 

purchase. Establishment of an AVA is 

neither an approval nor an endorsement 


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Federal Register / Vol. 89, No. 4 / Friday, January 5, 2024 / Proposed Rules 731 

1http://oceanexplorer.noaa.gov/explorations/ 

14mendocino/welcome.html. 

2See Exhibit C to the petition in the public docket 

at www.regulations.gov. 3See Exhibit E to the petition in the public docket 

at www.regulations.gov. 4https://www.zillow.com/homes/45601-SeasideSchool-Rd-Gualala,-CA-95445_rb/19217570_zpid/. 5https://mendocountry.com/real-estate-listings/ 

22400-philo-greenwood-rd.v. 6https://www.vrbo.com/829531. 7https://pointarenaschools.org. 8https://i-winereview.com/blog/index.php/2021/ 

01/12/drew-winery-brilliant-winemaking-in-themendocino-ridge-and-anderson-valley. 

by TTB of the wine produced in that 

area. 

Requirements 

Section 4.25(e)(2) of the TTB 

regulations (27 CFR 4.25(e)(2)) outlines 

the procedure for proposing an AVA 

and provides that any interested party 

may petition TTB to establish a grapegrowing region as an AVA. Section 9.12 

of the TTB regulations (27 CFR 9.12) 

prescribes standards for petitions for the 

establishment or modification of AVAs. 

Petitions to establish an AVA must 

include the following: 

• Evidence that the area within the 

proposed AVA boundary is nationally 

or locally known by the AVA name 

specified in the petition; 

• An explanation of the basis for 

defining the boundary of the proposed 

AVA; 

• A narrative description of the 

features of the proposed AVA that affect 

viticulture, such as climate, geology, 

soils, physical features, and elevation, 

that make the proposed AVA distinctive 

and distinguish it from adjacent areas 

outside the proposed AVA boundary; 

• The appropriate United States 

Geological Survey (USGS) map(s) 

showing the location of the proposed 

AVA, with the boundary of the 

proposed AVA clearly drawn thereon; 

• If the proposed AVA is to be 

established within, or overlapping, an 

existing AVA, an explanation that both 

identifies the attributes of the proposed 

AVA that are consistent with the 

existing AVA and explains how the 

proposed AVA is sufficiently distinct 

from the existing AVA and therefore 

appropriate for separate recognition; 

and 

• A detailed narrative description of 

the proposed AVA boundary based on 

USGS map markings. 

If the petition seeks to change the 

name of an existing AVA, the petition 

must establish the suitability of the 

name change by providing the same 

types of name evidence required for the 

establishment of a new AVA. 

Establishment of the Mendocino Ridge 

AVA 

On April 7, 1997, TTB’s predecessor 

agency, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, 

and Firearms (ATF), published Notice 

No. 848 in the Federal Register 

proposing the establishment of the 

Mendocino Ridge AVA (62 FR 16502). 

The notice was in response to a petition 

ATF received from Steve Alden of 

Alden Ranch Vineyards, on behalf of the 

Mendocino Ridge Quality Alliance, 

proposing the establishment of a new 

AVA to be called ‘‘Mendocino Ridge.’’ 

ATF received no comments in 

response to that notice. On October 27, 

1997, ATF published in T.D. ATF–392 

in the Federal Register (62 FR 55512), 

establishing the Mendocino Ridge AVA 

as proposed. The Mendocino Ridge 

AVA is located within the established 

North Coast AVA (27 CFR 9.30). The 

AVA is located on the coastal ridgelines 

of Mendocino County, California. There 

are about 262,400 acres within the outer 

boundaries of the AVA; however, only 

elevations at or above 1,200 feet are 

included in the AVA, resulting in an 

AVA comprised of non-contiguous sites 

located on ridgetops above the fog line. 

Petition To Rename the Mendocino 

Ridge AVA 

TTB has received a petition from the 

Mendocino Ridge AVA Board of 

Directors, proposing to rename the 

Mendocino Ridge AVA as the 

‘‘Mendocino Coast Ridge’’ AVA. The 

petition was signed by representatives 

of six vineyards and wineries within the 

AVA, including two people who signed 

the original petition to establish the 

Mendocino Ridge AVA. The petition 

states that at the time the Mendocino 

Ridge AVA was established, the focus 

was on the ridgetop locations of the 

vineyards. Over time, the vineyard 

owners realized that the coastal location 

is ‘‘equally a dominant defining feature 

of the AVA and should be part of the 

name * * *.’’ The petition claims that 

many producers in the AVA have 

‘‘struggled with significant confusion in 

the marketplace and within our 

community about where exactly the 

Mendocino Ridge is * * * within 

Mendocino County.’’ The petition goes 

on to say, ‘‘Some assume that 

Mendocino Ridge indicates ridge 

vineyards inland where viticultural 

growing conditions are dramatically 

different’’ from the coastal region of the 

AVA. The petition also notes that 

‘‘Mendocino Ridge’’ is the name of a 

massive underwater ridgeline in the 

Pacific Ocean.1 Internet searches for 

‘‘Mendocino Ridge’’ can produce results 

for the underwater ridge as well as for 

the AVA, which may cause confusion 

for people expecting to find results 

relating to wine. The petition states that 

the name ‘‘Mendocino Coast Ridge’’ 

would more precisely describe the 

geographic location and viticultural 

conditions of the AVA and alleviate 

consumer confusion. 

Name Evidence 

According to the petition, the 

proposed name ‘‘Mendocino Coast 

Ridge’’ is appropriate for the AVA 

because the AVA exists entirely within 

the coastal climate zone of Mendocino 

County. The petition included a map 

showing the climate zones of 

Mendocino County, which includes four 

climate zones from west to east— 

maritime, coastal, transitional, and 

interior.2 The Mendocino Ridge AVA 

boundary is superimposed on the map 

and is entirely in the ‘‘coastal’’ zone, 

while the more inland regions of the 

county are in the ‘‘transitional’’ and 

‘‘interior’’ zones. The petition included 

a second map of Caltrans Pavement 

Climate Regions, which also places the 

region of the Mendocino Ridge AVA in 

a coastal climate zone, this one named 

the ‘‘North Coast’’ region.3 By contrast, 

the inland region of Mendocino County 

is in the ‘‘Low Mountain’’ region. 

The petition provided several 

examples showing the use of ‘‘coast 

ridge’’ or ‘‘coastal ridge’’ to describe the 

region of the AVA. A real estate listing 

from the town of Gualala, which is 

within the Mendocino Ridge AVA, 

describes a house as a ‘‘sunny 

Mendocino coast ridge-top estate.’’ 4 A 

second real estate listing for a property 

in Philo, California, notes that the 

property’s vineyard is ‘‘located both in 

the Anderson Valley and the Mendocino 

Ridge (also known as the Mendocino 

Coast Ridge area) appellations.’’ 5 A 

vacation rental site lists another 

property ‘‘atop of southern Mendocino 

County’s coastal ridge.’’ 6 The Port 

Arena Schools web page, which serves 

students within the Mendocino Ridge 

AVA, also describes the location of the 

town of Point Arena as on the ‘‘coastal 

ridge range.’’ 7

Finally, the petition included 

examples from several wine 

publications that refer to the coastal 

location of the AVA and its vineyards as 

evidence that ‘‘coast’’ should be part of 

the AVA name. A 2021 article from 

International Wine Review notes that 

‘‘Mendocino Ridge is a coastal 

appellation * * * with a series of ridges 

that run northwesterly along the 

coast.’’ 8 A 2018 article about the wines 

of Mendocino County states, ‘‘It is a 

large and sprawling region which can be 

arguably cleaved into two pieces: 


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732 Federal Register / Vol. 89, No. 4 / Friday, January 5, 2024 / Proposed Rules 

9https://www.guildsomm.com/public_content/ 

features/articles/b/kelli-white/posts/mendocinocounty. 

10https://www.vikingrange.com/consumer/ 

products/print_friendly/tvl_print.jsp;jsessionid= 

cJNmb4t26Bej0HUOFDIbw**.node1?id=prod7350195. 

11https://chuckfuruya.wordpress.com/2013/05/ 

02/2011-witching-stick-pinot-noirs. 

12https://www.klwines.com/p/i?i=1034162&

searchId=8b9c4e47-d24c-403a-a363- 

8df4a465b6b4&searchServiceName=klwines-prodproductsearch&searchRank=1. 

13https://gianoliranch.com/about/. 

14Princeofpinot.com/article/835. 

coastal and inland. Anderson Valley, 

Mendocino Ridge, Yorkville Highlands, 

and Cole Ranch belong to the former 

category, as they are very much defined 

by their relationship to the coast.’’ 9

Another article about wine regions in 

Mendocino County states, ‘‘The coastal 

appellations are Anderson Valley, 

Mendocino Ridge, and Yorkville 

Highlands * * *.’’ 10 A review of 

Witching Stick Winery’s 2011 Gianoli 

Vineyard Pinot Noir wine notes, ‘‘The 

Gianoli Vineyard is located roughly 

1800 feet up in the Mendocino Coastal 

Ridge * * *.’’ 11 A description of a 2005 

Zinfandel wine from Claudia Springs 

Winery notes, ‘‘The Mendocino Ridge 

Appellation is one of California’s most 

unique—all vineyards must be in the 

Mendocino Coast ridge [sic] and at an 

elevation of at least 1,200 feet above sea 

level.’’ 12 The website for Gianoli Ranch 

and Vineyard notes that the property is 

located ‘‘along the beautiful Mendocino 

Coast Ridge.’’ 13 Lastly, a 2010 article 

from the wine blog PinotFile states that 

in 1988, Kendall–Jackson Winery 

declared that ‘‘the Mendocino Coastal 

Ridge was one of the world’s greatest 

Zinfandel regions.’’ 14

TTB Determination 

TTB concludes that the petition to 

rename the established Mendocino 

Ridge AVA as ‘‘Mendocino Coast Ridge’’ 

merits consideration and public 

comment, as invited in this document. 

Boundary Description 

The proposed renaming would not 

affect the boundary description of the 

Mendocino Ridge AVA as codified in 

the Code of Federal Regulations at 27 

CFR 9.158. 

Impact on Current Wine Labels 

Part 4 of the TTB regulations prohibits 

any label reference on a wine that 

indicates or implies an origin other than 

the wine’s true place of origin. For a 

wine to be labeled with an AVA name 

or with a brand name that includes an 

AVA name, at least 85 percent of the 

wine must be derived from grapes 

grown within the area represented by 

that name, and the wine must meet the 

other conditions listed in 27 CFR 

4.25(e)(3). If the wine is not eligible for 

labeling with an AVA name and that 

name appears in the brand name, then 

the label is not in compliance and the 

bottler must change the brand name and 

obtain approval of a new label. 

Similarly, if the AVA name appears in 

another reference on the label in a 

misleading manner, the bottler would 

have to obtain approval of a new label. 

Different rules apply if a wine has a 

brand name containing an AVA name 

that was used as a brand name on a 

label approved before July 7, 1986. See 

27 CFR 4.39(i)(2) for details. 

If TTB approves this proposed AVA 

name change, the new name, 

‘‘Mendocino Coast Ridge,’’ will be 

recognized as the name of the AVA. 

This name change would affect vintners 

who currently use the ‘‘Mendocino 

Ridge’’ name as an appellation of origin 

because only the approved viticultural 

name may be so used. As a result, 

‘‘Mendocino Ridge’’ would no longer be 

eligible for use as an AVA appellation 

of origin on wine labels. 

Although ‘‘Mendocino Ridge’’ would 

no longer be an approved AVA name, 

TTB would still recognize it as a term 

of viticultural significance. With some 

exceptions, a brand name of viticultural 

significance may not be used unless the 

wine meets the appellation of origin 

requirements for the geographic area 

named. (27 CFR 4.39(i)(1)). ‘‘Mendocino 

Ridge’’ has been recognized as a term of 

viticultural significance under 

§ 4.39(i)(3) of the TTB regulations (27 

CFR 4.39(i)(3)) since the establishment 

of the Mendocino Ridge AVA. Changing 

the name of the AVA to add ‘‘Coast’’ to 

the AVA name would not affect the 

viticultural significance of the term 

‘‘Mendocino Ridge.’’ As a term of 

viticultural significance, ‘‘Mendocino 

Ridge’’ could not appear as a brand 

name or elsewhere on a wine label 

unless the wine is also eligible to be 

labeled with the ‘‘Mendocino Coast 

Ridge’’ AVA appellation. 

Transition Period for ‘‘Mendocino 

Ridge’’ Labels 

If TTB adopts a final rule renaming 

this AVA, current holders of labels that 

were approved before the effective date 

of such a final rule that use the name 

‘‘Mendocino Ridge’’ to designate a 

viticultural area would be permitted to 

use those approved labels during a 2- 

year transition period. At the end of the 

2-year period, holders of approved 

‘‘Mendocino Ridge’’ viticultural area 

wine labels would have to discontinue 

their use, as their certificates of label 

approval (COLAs) would be revoked by 

operation of the final rule. (See 27 CFR 

13.51 and 13.72(a)(2).) The proposed 

regulatory text at the end of this 

document includes a statement to this 

effect as a new paragraph (d) in 27 CFR 

9.158. TTB believes the 2-year period 

would provide label holders with 

adequate time to use up their supply of 

previously approved labels. 

TTB notes that label holders who 

continue to use labels showing the 

‘‘Mendocino Ridge’’ during the 

transition period would also be able to 

apply for COLAs with the ‘‘Mendocino 

Coast Ridge’’ name and use such labels, 

if approved. 

Public Participation 

Comments Invited 

TTB invites comments from interested 

members of the public on the 

appropriateness of changing the name of 

the established Mendocino Ridge AVA 

to ‘‘Mendocino Coast Ridge,’’ and on the 

proposed 2-year transition period. TTB 

is particularly interested in receiving 

comments on any possible effects that 

this name change would have on label 

holders using the Mendocino Ridge 

appellation of origin. TTB is also 

interested in comments regarding any 

negative economic impact, which might 

result from the proposed name change, 

and whether a longer transition period 

would be more appropriate to reduce 

any negative impact. 

Submitting Comments 

You may submit comments on this 

proposal as an individual or on behalf 

of a business or other organization via 

the Regulations.gov website or via 

postal mail, as described in the 

ADDRESSES section of this document. 

Your comment must reference Notice 

No. 227 and must be submitted or 

postmarked by the closing date shown 

in the DATES section of this document. 

You may upload or include attachments 

with your comment. You also may 

submit a comment requesting a public 

hearing on this proposal. The TTB 

Administrator reserves the right to 

determine whether to hold a public 

hearing. 

Confidentiality and Disclosure of 

Comments 

All submitted comments and 

attachments are part of the rulemaking 

record and are subject to public 

disclosure. Do not enclose any material 

in your comments that you consider 

confidential or that is inappropriate for 

disclosure. 

TTB will post, and you may view, 

copies of this document, the related 

petition, supporting materials, and any 


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Federal Register / Vol. 89, No. 4 / Friday, January 5, 2024 / Proposed Rules 733 

comments TTB receives about this 

proposal within the related 

Regulations.gov docket. In general, TTB 

will post comments as submitted, and it 

will not redact any identifying or 

contact information from the body of a 

comment or attachment. 

Please contact TTB’s Regulations and 

Rulings division by email using the web 

form available at https://www.ttb.gov/ 

contact-rrd, or by telephone at 202–453– 

2265, if you have any questions 

regarding comments on this proposal or 

to request copies of this document, its 

supporting materials, or the comments 

received. 

Regulatory Flexibility Act 

TTB certifies that this proposed 

regulation, if adopted, would not have 

a significant economic impact on a 

substantial number of small entities. 

The proposed regulation imposes no 

new reporting, recordkeeping, or other 

administrative requirement. Any benefit 

derived from the use of a viticultural 

area name would be the result of a 

proprietor’s efforts and consumer 

acceptance of wines from that area. 

Therefore, no regulatory flexibility 

analysis is required. 

Executive Order 12866 

It has been determined that this 

proposed rule is not a significant 

regulatory action as defined by 

Executive Order 12866, as amended. 

Therefore, no regulatory assessment is 

required. 

Drafting Information 

Karen A. Thornton of the Regulations 

and Rulings Division drafted this 

document. 

List of Subjects in 27 CFR Part 9 

Wine. 

Proposed Regulatory Amendment 

For the reasons discussed in the 

preamble, we propose to amend title 27, 

chapter I, part 9, Code of Federal 

Regulations, as follows: 

PART 9—AMERICAN VITICULTURAL 

AREAS 

■ 1. The authority citation for part 9 

continues to read as follows: 

Authority: 27 U.S.C. 205. 

Subpart C—Approved American 

Viticultural Areas 

■ 2. Section 9.158 is amended by 

revising the section heading, paragraphs 

(a), (b) introductory text, and (c) 

introductory text, and by adding 

paragraph (d) to read as follows: 

§ 9.158 Mendocino Coast Ridge. 

(a) Name. The name of the viticultural 

area described in this section is 

‘‘Mendocino Coast Ridge’’. For purposes 

of part 4 of this chapter, ‘‘Mendocino 

Coast Ridge’’ and ‘‘Mendocino Ridge’’ 

are both terms of viticultural 

significance. 

(b) Approved maps. The appropriate 

maps for determining the boundary of 

the Mendocino Coast Ridge viticultural 

area are four 1:62,500 scale U.S.G.S. 

topographical maps. They are titled: 

* * * * * 

(c) Boundary. The Mendocino Coast 

Ridge viticultural area is located within 

Mendocino County, California. Within 

the boundary description that follows, 

the viticultural area starts at the 1,200- 

foot elevation contour and encompasses 

all areas at or above the 1,200-foot 

elevation contour. The boundary of the 

Mendocino Coast Ridge viticultural area 

is as follows: 

* * * * * 

(d) Transition period. A label 

containing the words ‘‘Mendocino 

Ridge’’ as an appellation of origin 

approved prior to [the effective date of 

the final rule] may be used on wine 

bottled before [two years after the 

effective date of the final rule], if the 

wine conforms to the standards for use 

of the label set forth in § 4.25 or § 4.39(i) 

of this chapter in effect prior to 

[effective date of the final rule]. Existing 

certificates of label approval showing 

‘‘Mendocino Ridge’’ as an appellation of 

origin are revoked by operation of this 

regulation on [two years after the 

effective date of the final rule]. 

Signed: December 19, 2023. 

Mary G. Ryan, 

Administrator. 

Approved: December 20, 2023. 

Thomas C. West, Jr., 

Deputy Assistant Secretary (Tax Policy). 

[FR Doc. 2024–00057 Filed 1–4–24; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4810–31–P 

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR 

Office of the Secretary 

43 CFR Part 11 

[Docket No. DOI–2022–0016; 4500176944] 

RIN 1090–AB26 

Natural Resource Damages for 

Hazardous Substances 

AGENCY: Office of Restoration and 

Damage Assessment, Interior. 

ACTION: Notice of proposed rulemaking; 

request for public comment. 

SUMMARY: The Office of Restoration and 

Damage Assessment is seeking 

comments and suggestions from State, 

Tribal, and Federal natural resource cotrustees, other affected parties, and the 

interested public on revising the 

simplified Type A procedures in the 

regulations for conducting natural 

resource damage assessment and 

restoration for hazardous substance 

releases. 

DATES: We will accept comments 

through March 5, 2024. 

Information Collection Requirements: 

If you wish to comment on the 

information collection requirements in 

this proposed rule, please note that the 

Office of Management and Budget 

(OMB) is required to make a decision 

concerning the collection of information 

contained in this proposed rule between 

30 and 60 days after publication of this 

proposed rule in the Federal Register. 

Therefore, comments should be 

submitted to the Departmental 

Information Collection Clearance 

Officer, U.S. Department of the Interior 

(see ‘‘Information Collection 

Requirements’’ section below under 

ADDRESSES) by March 5, 2024. 

ADDRESSES: You may submit comments 

to Office of Restoration and Damage 

Assessment (ORDA) on this notice of 

proposed rulemaking (NPRM); request 

for public comment by any of the 

following methods. Please reference the 

Regulation Identifier Number (RIN) 

1090–AB26 in your comments. 

• Electronically: Go to http://

www.regulations.gov. In the ‘‘Search’’ 

box enter ‘‘DOI–2022–0016’’. Follow the 

instructions to submit public comments. 

We will post all comments. 

• Hand deliver or mail comments to 

the Office of Restoration and Damage 

Assessment, U.S. Department of the 

Interior, 1849 C Street Northwest, Mail 

Stop/Room 2627, Washington, DC 

20240. 

Information Collection Requirements: 

Send your comments on the information 

collection request to the Departmental 

Information Collection Clearance 

Officer, U.S. Department of the Interior, 

Jeffrey Parrillo, 1849 C Street NW, 

Washington, DC 20240; or by email to 

jeffrey_parrillo@ios.doi.gov. Please 

reference OMB Control Number 1090– 

AB26 in the subject line of your 

comments. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Emily Joseph, Director, Office of 

Restoration and Damage Assessment at 

(202) 208–4438 or email to emily_

joseph@ios.doi.gov. Individuals in the 

United States who are deaf, deafblind, 

hard of hearing, or have a speech 

disability may dial 711 (TTY, TDD, or 


lotter on DSK11XQN23PROD with PROPOSALS1