14174 Federal Register / Vol. 87, No. 49 / Monday, March 14, 2022 / Rules and Regulations 

(iv) The identity of those digitally 

connected devices with which the 

controller can be used, including 

descriptions of the specific system 

configurations that can be used, per the 

detailed strategy submitted under 

paragraph (b)(1)(iii) of this section. 

(v) A comprehensive description of 

representative clinical performance in 

the hands of the intended user, 

including information specific to use in 

the pediatric use population, as 

appropriate. 

(vi) A comprehensive description of 

safety of the device, including, for 

example, the incidence of severe 

hypoglycemia, diabetic ketoacidosis, 

and other relevant adverse events 

observed in a study conducted to satisfy 

paragraph (b)(1)(i) of this section. 

(vii) For wireless connection enabled 

devices, a description of the wireless 

quality of service required for proper 

use of the device. 

(viii) For any controller with 

hardware components intended for 

multiple patient reuse, instructions for 

safely reprocessing the hardware 

components between uses. 

Dated: March 8, 2022. 

Lauren K. Roth, 

Associate Commissioner for Policy. 

[FR Doc. 2022–05303 Filed 3–11–22; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4164–01–P 

ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION 

AGENCY 

40 CFR Part 312 

[EPA–HQ–OLEM–2021–0946 FRL–9334–02– 

OLEM] 

Standards and Practices for All 

Appropriate Inquiries 

AGENCY: Environmental Protection 

Agency (EPA). 

ACTION: Direct final rule. 

SUMMARY: EPA is taking direct final 

action to amend the Standards and 

Practices for All Appropriate Inquiries 

to reference a standard practice recently 

made available by ASTM International, 

a widely recognized standards 

developing organization. Specifically, 

this direct final rule amends the All 

Appropriate Inquiries Rule to reference 

ASTM International’s E1527–21 

‘‘Standard Practice for Environmental 

Site Assessments: Phase I 

Environmental Site Assessment 

Process’’ and allow for its use to satisfy 

the requirements for conducting all 

appropriate inquiries under the 

Comprehensive Environmental 

Response, Compensation and Liability 

Act. 

DATES: This rule is effective on May 13, 

2022, without further notice, unless 

EPA receives adverse comment by April 

13, 2022. If EPA receives such comment, 

we will publish a timely withdrawal in 

the Federal Register informing the 

public that this rule will not take effect. 

ADDRESSES: Submit your comments, 

identified by Docket ID No. [EPA–HQ– 

OLEM–2021–0946] at https://

www.regulations.gov. Follow the on-line 

instructions for submitting comments. 

Once submitted, comments cannot be 

edited or removed from regulations.gov. 

The EPA may publish any comment 

received to its public docket. Do not 

submit electronically any information 

you consider to be Confidential 

Business Information (CBI) or other 

information whose disclosure is 

restricted by statute. Multimedia 

submissions (audio, video, etc.) must be 

accompanied by a written comment. 

The written comment is considered the 

official comment and should include 

discussion of all points you wish to 

make. The EPA will generally not 

consider comments or comment 

contents located outside of the primary 

submission (i.e., on the web, cloud, or 

other file sharing system). For 

additional submission methods, the full 

EPA public comment policy, 

information about CBI and multimedia 

submissions, and general guidance on 

making effective comments, please visit 

https://www2.epa.gov/dockets/ 

commenting-epa-dockets. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For 

more detailed information on specific 

aspects of this rule, contact Patricia 

Overmeyer, Office of Brownfields and 

Land Revitalization (5105T), U.S. 

Environmental Protection Agency, 1200 

Pennsylvania Avenue NW, Washington, 

DC 20460–0002, 202–566–2774, or 

Overmeyer.patricia@epa.gov. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

Throughout this document, ‘‘we,’’ ‘‘us,’’ 

and ‘‘our’’ refer to the EPA. 

Table of Contents 

I. Why is the EPA using a direct final rule 

II. Does this action apply to me? 

III. What should I consider as I prepare my 

comments for the EPA? 

IV. Statutory Authority 

V. Background 

VI. What action is the EPA taking? 

VII. Statutory and Executive Order Reviews 

I. Why is the EPA using a direct final 

rule? 

EPA is publishing this direct final 

rule without prior proposal because the 

Agency views this as a noncontroversial 

action and anticipates no adverse 

comment given that this action will 

provide flexibility for grant recipients 

and other entities that may benefit from 

the use of the ASTM E1527–21 

standard. We believe that this action is 

reasonable and can be promulgated 

without consideration of public 

comment because it allows for the use 

of a generally accepted business 

standard developed by a recognized 

standards developing organization. The 

standard was reviewed by EPA and 

determined to be equivalent to the 

Agency’s all appropriate inquiries 

requirements. This action does not 

disallow the use of the previously 

recognized standards (ASTM E1527–13 

or ASTM E2247–16), and it does not 

alter the requirements of the previously 

promulgated All Appropriate Inquiries 

Rule. In addition, this action will 

potentially increase flexibility for some 

parties who may make use of the new 

standard, without placing any 

additional burden on those parties who 

prefer to use either the ASTM E1527–13 

standard, the ASTM E2247–16 standard, 

or follow the requirements of the All 

Appropriate Inquiries Rule when 

conducting all appropriate inquiries. 

Although we view this action as 

noncontroversial, in the ‘‘Proposed 

Rules’’ section in this issue of the 

Federal Register, we are publishing a 

separate proposed rule containing the 

clarification summarized above. That 

proposed rule will serve as the proposal 

to be revised if adverse comments are 

received. If EPA does not receive 

adverse comment in response to this 

direct final rule prior to April 13, 2022, 

this rule will become effective on May 

13, 2022, without further notice. If EPA 

receives adverse comment, we will 

publish a timely withdrawal of this 

direct final rule in the Federal Register, 

informing the public that the rule will 

not take effect. We will address all 

public comments in a subsequent final 

rule. We will not institute a second 

comment period on this action. Any 

parties interested in commenting must 

do so at this time and before April 13, 

2022. 

II. Does this action apply to me? 

This action offers certain parties the 

option of using an available industry 

standard to conduct all appropriate 

inquiries. Parties purchasing potentially 

contaminated properties may use the 

ASTM E1527–21 standard practice to 

comply with the all appropriate 

inquiries requirements of the 

Comprehensive Environmental 

Response, Compensation, and Liability 

Act (CERCLA). This rule does not 

require any entity to use this standard. 

Any party who wants to claim 

protection from liability under one of 

CERCLA’s landowner liability 


jspears on DSK121TN23PROD with RULES1
Federal Register / Vol. 87, No. 49 / Monday, March 14, 2022 / Rules and Regulations 14175 

protections may follow the regulatory 

requirements of the All Appropriate 

Inquiries Rule at 40 CFR part 312, use 

the ASTM E1527–13 ‘‘Standard Practice 

for Phase I Environmental Site 

Assessments,’’ use the ASTM E2247–16 

‘‘Standard Practice for Environmental 

Site Assessments: Phase I 

Environmental Site Assessment Process 

for Forestland or Rural Property,’’ or use 

the standard recognized in this direct 

final rule, the ASTM E1527–21 

standard, to comply with the all 

appropriate inquiries provision of 

CERCLA. 

Entities potentially affected by this 

action, or who may choose to use the 

newly referenced ASTM standard to 

perform all appropriate inquiries, 

include public and private parties who, 

as bona fide prospective purchasers, 

contiguous property owners, or 

innocent landowners, are purchasing 

potentially contaminated properties and 

wish to establish a limitation on 

CERCLA liability in conjunction with 

the property purchase. In addition, any 

entity conducting a site characterization 

or assessment on a property with 

funding from a brownfields grant 

awarded under CERCLA Section 

104(k)(2)(B)(ii) may be affected by this 

action. This includes state, local, and 

Tribal governments that receive 

brownfields site assessment grants. A 

summary of the potentially affected 

industry sectors (by North American 

Industry Classification System (NAICS) 

codes) is displayed in the table below. 

Industry category NAICS code 

Real Estate ............... 531 

Insurance .................. 52412 

Banking/Real Estate 

Credit.

522292 

Environmental Consulting Services.54162 

State, Local and Tribal Government.926110, 925120 

Federal Government 925120, 921190, 924120 

The list of potentially affected entities 

in the above table may not be 

exhaustive. Our aim is to provide a 

guide for readers regarding those 

entities that EPA is aware potentially 

could be affected by this action. 

However, this action may affect other 

entities not listed in the table. If you 

have questions regarding the 

applicability of this action to a 

particular entity, consult the person 

listed in the preceding section entitled 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT. 

III. What should I consider as I prepare 

my comments for the EPA? 

Direct your comments to Docket ID 

No. EPA–HQ–OLEM–2021–0946. EPA’s 

policy is that all comments received 

will be included in the public docket 

without change and may be made 

available online at www.regulations.gov, 

including any personal information 

provided, unless the comment includes 

information claimed to be Confidential 

Business Information (CBI) or other 

information whose disclosure is 

restricted by statute. 

A. Submitting CBI: Do not submit any 

information through 

www.regulations.gov or email that you 

consider to be CBI or otherwise 

protected. You can only submit CBI to 

EPA via U.S. mail at: HQ EPA Docket 

Center, EPA/DC, EPA West, Room 3334, 

1301 Constitution Ave. NW, 

Washington, DC 20460. Clearly mark all 

information that you claim to be CBI. 

For CBI submitted on a disk or CD ROM 

that you mail to EPA, mark the outside 

of the disk or CD ROM as CBI and then 

identify electronically within the disk or 

CD ROM the specific information that is 

claimed as CBI. In addition to one 

complete version of the comment that 

includes information claimed as CBI, a 

copy of the comment that does not 

contain the information claimed as CBI 

must be submitted along with the 

comment that includes CBI. The version 

of the comment that does not include 

CBI will be included in the public 

docket. Information marked as CBI will 

not be disclosed except in accordance 

with procedures set forth in 40 CFR part 

2. 

B. Tips for Preparing Your Comments: 

When submitting comments, remember 

to: 

• Identify the rulemaking by docket 

number and other identifying 

information (subject heading, Federal 

Register date and page number). 

• Explain why you agree or disagree; 

suggest alternatives and substitute 

language for your requested changes. 

• Describe any assumptions and 

provide any technical information and/ 

or data you used. 

• If you estimate potential costs or 

burdens, explain how you arrived at 

your estimate in sufficient detail to 

allow for it to be reproduced. 

• Provide specific examples to 

illustrate your concerns and suggest 

alternatives. 

• Explain your views as clearly as 

possible, avoiding the use of profanity 

or personal threats. 

• Make sure to submit your 

comments by the comment period 

deadline identified. 

The www.regulations.gov website is 

an ‘‘anonymous access’’ system, which 

means EPA will not know your identity 

or contact information unless you 

provide it in the body of your comment. 

If you send an email comment directly 

to EPA without going through 

www.regulations.gov, your email 

address will be automatically captured 

and included as part of the comment 

that is placed in the public docket and 

made available on the Internet. If you 

submit an electronic comment, EPA 

recommends that you include your 

name and other contact information in 

the body of your comment and with any 

disk or CD-ROM you submit. If EPA 

cannot read your comment due to 

technical difficulties and cannot contact 

you for clarification, EPA may not be 

able to consider your comment. 

Electronic files should avoid the use of 

special characters or any form of 

encryption, and be free of any defects or 

viruses. For additional information 

about EPA’s public docket visit the EPA 

Docket Center homepage at https:// 

www2.epa.gov/dockets/commentingepa-dockets. 

C. The docket: All documents in the 

docket are listed in the 

www.regulations.gov index. Certain 

types of information claimed as CBI, 

and other information whose disclosure 

is restricted by statute, will not be 

available for public viewing in EPA’s 

electronic public docket. EPA’s policy is 

that copyrighted material, such as 

ASTM International’s E1527–21 

‘‘Standard Practice for Environmental 

Site Assessments: Phase I 

Environmental Site Assessment 

Process’’ will not be placed in EPA’s 

electronic public docket but will be 

publicly available only in printed form 

in the official public docket. Publicly 

available docket materials are available 

either electronically in 

www.regulations.gov or in hard copy at 

the HQ EPA Docket Center, EPA/DC, 

EPA West, Room 3334, 1301 

Constitution Ave. NW, Washington, DC 

20460. Please note: Due to public health 

concerns related to COVID–19, the EPA 

Docket Center and Reading Room are 

open to the public by appointment only, 

and walk-ins are not allowed. Visitors to 

the Reading Room must complete 

docket material requests in advance and 

then make an appointment to retrieve 

the material. Please contact the EPA 

Reading Room staff at (202) 566–1744 or 

via the Dockets Customer Service email 

at docket-customerservice@epa.gov to 

arrange material requests and 

appointments. 

IV. Statutory Authority 

This direct final rule amends the All 

Appropriate Inquiries Rule setting 

Federal standards for the conduct of ‘‘all 

appropriate inquiries’’ at 40 CFR part 

312. The All Appropriate Inquiries Rule 

sets forth standards and practices 

necessary for fulfilling the requirements 


jspears on DSK121TN23PROD with RULES1
14176 Federal Register / Vol. 87, No. 49 / Monday, March 14, 2022 / Rules and Regulations 

of CERCLA section 101(35)(B) to obtain 

CERCLA liability protection and for 

conducting site characterizations and 

assessments with the use of brownfields 

grants per CERCLA section 

104(k)(2)(B)(ii). 

V. Background 

On January 11, 2002, President Bush 

signed the Small Business Liability 

Relief and Brownfields Revitalization 

Act (‘‘the Brownfields Amendments’’). 

In general, the Brownfields 

Amendments to CERCLA provide funds 

to assess and clean up brownfields sites; 

clarify existing and establish new 

CERCLA liability provisions related to 

certain types of owners of contaminated 

properties; and provide funding to 

establish or enhance State and Tribal 

cleanup programs. The Brownfields 

Amendments revised some of the 

provisions of CERCLA Section 101(35) 

and limited liability under Section 107 

for bona fide prospective purchasers 

and contiguous property owners, in 

addition to clarifying the requirements 

necessary to establish the innocent 

landowner liability protection under 

CERCLA. The Brownfields Amendments 

clarified the requirement that parties 

purchasing potentially contaminated 

property undertake ‘‘all appropriate 

inquiries’’ into prior ownership and use 

of property before purchasing the 

property to qualify for protection from 

CERCLA liability. 

The Brownfields Amendments of 

2002 required EPA to develop 

regulations establishing standards and 

practices for how to conduct all 

appropriate inquiries. EPA promulgated 

regulations that set standards and 

practices for all appropriate inquiries on 

November 1, 2005 (70 FR 66070). In the 

final regulation, EPA referenced, and 

recognized as compliant with the rule, 

the ASTM E1527–05 ‘‘Standard Practice 

for Environmental Site Assessments: 

Phase I Environmental Site Assessment 

Process.’’ In December 2008, EPA 

amended the All Appropriate Inquiries 

Rule to recognize another ASTM 

standard as compliant with the rule, 

ASTM E2247–08 ‘‘Standard Practice for 

Environmental Site Assessments: Phase 

I Environmental Site Assessment 

Process for Forestland or Rural 

Property.’’ Both standards, the ASTM 

E1527–05 and the ASTM E2247–08, 

were subsequently revised by ASTM 

International. EPA referenced the 

revised ASTM E1527–13 standard on 

August 15, 2013 (78 FR 49690) and 

referenced the revised ASTM E2247–16 

Standard on September 15, 2017 (82 FR 

43310) as compliant with the All 

Appropriate Inquiries Rule. Currently, 

the All Appropriate Inquiries Rule (40 

CFR part 312) allows for the use of the 

ASTM E1527–13 standard or the ASTM 

E2247–16 standard to conduct all 

appropriate inquiries, in lieu of 

following requirements included in the 

rule. Once this action is final, the All 

Appropriate Inquiries Rule also will 

allow for the use of the ASTM E1527– 

21 standard. 

Recently, ASTM International 

published a revised standard for 

conducting Phase I environmental site 

assessments. This standard, ASTM 

E1527–21, ‘‘Standard Practice for 

Environmental Site Assessments: Phase 

I Environmental Site Assessment 

Process,’’ was reviewed by EPA, and 

determined by EPA to be compliant 

with the requirements of the All 

Appropriate Inquiries Rule. 

VI. What action is the EPA taking? 

This direct final rule amends the All 

Appropriate Inquiries Rule to allow for 

the use of the recently revised ASTM 

International standard, ASTM E1527– 

21, to satisfy the all appropriate 

inquiries requirements under CERCLA 

for establishing the bona fide 

prospective purchaser, contiguous 

property owner, and innocent 

landowner liability protections. 

With this action, parties seeking 

liability relief under CERCLA’s 

landowner liability protections, as well 

as recipients of brownfields grants for 

conducting site assessments, will be 

considered in compliance with the 

requirements for all appropriate 

inquiries, if such parties comply with 

the procedures provided in the ASTM 

E1527–21, ‘‘Standard Practice for 

Environmental Site Assessments: Phase 

I Environmental Site Assessment 

Process.’’ EPA determined that it is 

reasonable to promulgate this 

clarification as a direct final rule that is 

effective immediately, rather than delay 

promulgation of the clarification until 

after receipt and consideration of public 

comments. EPA made this 

determination based upon the Agency’s 

finding that the ASTM E1527–21 

standard is compliant with the All 

Appropriate Inquiries Rule, and the 

Agency sees no reason to delay allowing 

for its use in conducting all appropriate 

inquiries. 

The Agency notes that this action 

does not require any party to use the 

ASTM E1527–21 standard. Any party 

conducting all appropriate inquiries to 

comply with CERCLA’s bona fide 

prospective purchaser, contiguous 

property owner, and innocent 

landowner liability protections may 

continue to follow the provisions of the 

All Appropriate Inquiries Rule at 40 

CFR part 312, use the ASTM E1527–13 

standard or use the ASTM E2247–16 

standard. This action merely allows for 

the option of using ASTM 

International’s E1527–21 ‘‘Standard 

Practice for Environmental Site 

Assessments: Phase I Environmental 

Site Assessment Process’’ by those 

parties purchasing potentially 

contaminated properties in lieu of 

following the specific requirements of 

the All Appropriate Inquiries Rule. 

The Agency notes that there are no 

legally significant differences between 

the regulatory requirements and the 

ASTM E1527–21 standard. To facilitate 

an understanding of the slight 

differences between the All Appropriate 

Inquiries Rule and the revised ASTM 

E1527–21 ‘‘Standard Practice for 

Environmental Site Assessments: Phase 

I Environmental Site Assessment 

Process,’’ as well as the applicability of 

the E1527–21 standard to certain types 

of properties, EPA developed, and 

placed in the docket for this action, the 

document ‘‘Comparison of All 

Appropriate Inquiries Regulation, the 

ASTM E1527–13 Phase I Environmental 

Site Assessment Process, and ASTM 

E1527–21 Phase I Environmental Site 

Assessment Process.’’ The document 

provides a comparison of the two ASTM 

E1527 standards. 

This action includes no changes to the 

All Appropriate Inquiries Rule other 

than to add an additional reference to 

the new ASTM E1527–21 standard. EPA 

is not seeking comments on the 

standards and practices included in the 

rule published at 40 CFR part 312. Also, 

EPA is not seeking comments on the 

ASTM E1527–21 standard. EPA’s only 

action with this direct final rule is 

recognition of the ASTM E1527–21 

standard as compliant with the all 

appropriate inquiries requirements and, 

therefore it is only this action on which 

the Agency is seeking comment. 

VII. Statutory and Executive Order 

Reviews 

Under Executive Order 12866 (58 FR 

51735, October 4, 1993) and Executive 

Order 13563 (76 FR 3821, January 21, 

2011), this action is not a ‘‘significant 

regulatory action’’ and is therefore not 

subject to OMB review. This action 

merely amends the All Appropriate 

Inquiries Rule to reference ASTM 

International’s E1527–21 ‘‘Standard 

Practice for Environmental Site 

Assessments: Phase I Environmental 

Site Assessment Process’’ and allow for 

its use to satisfy the requirements for 

conducting all appropriate inquiries 

under CERCLA. This action does not 

impose any requirements on any entity, 

including small entities. Therefore, 

pursuant to the Regulatory Flexibility 


jspears on DSK121TN23PROD with RULES1
Federal Register / Vol. 87, No. 49 / Monday, March 14, 2022 / Rules and Regulations 14177 

Act (5 U.S.C. 601 et seq. ), after 

considering the economic impacts of 

this action on small entities, I certify 

that this action will not have a 

significant economic impact on a 

substantial number of small entities. 

This action does not contain any 

unfunded mandates or significantly or 

uniquely affect small governments as 

described in Sections 202 and 205 of the 

Unfunded Mandates Reform Act of 1999 

(UMRA) (Pub. L. 104–4). This action 

does not create new binding legal 

requirements that substantially and 

directly affect Tribes under Executive 

Order 13175 (63 FR 67249, November 9, 

2000). This action does not have 

significant Federalism implications 

under Executive Order 13132 (64 FR 

43255, August 10, 1999). Because this 

action is exempt from review under 

Executive Order 12866, this rule is not 

subject to Executive Order 13211, 

entitled Actions Concerning Regulations 

That Significantly Affect Energy Supply, 

Distribution, or Use (66 FR 28355, May 

22, 2001) or Executive Order 13045, 

entitled Protection of Children from 

Environmental Health Risks and Safety 

Risks (62 FR 19885, April 23, 1997). 

This action does not contain any 

information collections subject to OMB 

approval under the Paperwork 

Reduction Act of 1995 (PRA), 44 U.S.C. 

3501 et seq., nor does it require any 

special considerations under Executive 

Order 12898, entitled Federal Actions to 

Address Environmental Justice in 

Minority Populations and Low-Income 

Populations (59 FR 7629, February 16, 

1994). 

This action does involve technical 

standards. Therefore, the requirements 

of section 12(d) of the National 

Technology Transfer and Advancement 

Act of 1995 (15 U.S.C. 272) (NTTAA) 

apply. The NTTAA was signed into law 

on March 7, 1996, and, among other 

things, directs the National Institute of 

Standards and Technology (NIST) to 

bring together Federal agencies as well 

as state and local governments to 

achieve greater reliance on voluntary 

consensus standards and decrease 

dependence on in-house standards. It 

states that use of such standards, 

whenever practicable and appropriate, 

is intended to achieve the following 

goals: (a) Eliminate the cost to the 

government of developing its own 

standards and decrease the cost of goods 

procured and the burden of complying 

with agency regulations; (b) provide 

incentives and opportunities to 

establish standards that serve national 

needs; (c) encourage long-term growth 

for U.S. enterprises and promote 

efficiency and economic competition 

through harmonization of standards; 

and (d) further the policy of reliance 

upon the private sector to supply 

government needs for goods and 

services. The Act requires that Federal 

agencies adopt private sector standards, 

particularly those developed by 

standards developing organizations 

(SDOs), whenever possible in lieu of 

creating proprietary, non-consensus 

standards. 

This action is compliant with the 

spirit and requirements of the NTTAA. 

This action allows for the use of the 

ASTM International standard known as 

Standard E1527–21 and entitled 

‘‘Standard Practice for Environmental 

Site Assessments: Phase I 

Environmental Site Assessment 

Process.’’ By taking this action, EPA is 

fulfilling the intent and requirements of 

the National Technology Transfer and 

Advancement Act of 1995 (NTTAA), 

Public Law 104–113. 

The Congressional Review Act, 5 

U.S.C. 801 et seq., generally provides 

that before certain actions may take 

effect, the agency promulgating the 

action must submit a report, which 

includes a copy of the action, to each 

House of the Congress and to the 

Comptroller General of the United 

States. EPA submitted a report 

containing this rule and other required 

information to the U.S. Senate, the U.S. 

House of Representatives, and the 

Comptroller General of the United 

States prior to publication of the rule in 

the Federal Register. This action is not 

a ‘‘major rule’’ as defined by 5 U.S.C. 

804(2). This rule is effective on May 13, 

2022 unless EPA receives adverse 

comment by May 13, 2022. 

List of Subjects in 40 CFR Part 312 

Administrative practice and 

procedure, Hazardous substances. 

Barry N. Breen, 

Acting Assistant Administrator, Office of 

Land and Emergency Management. 

For the reasons set out in the 

preamble, 40 CFR part 312 is amended 

as follows: 

PART 312—[AMENDED] 

■ 1. The authority citation for part 312 

continues to read as follows: 

Authority: Section 101(35)(B) of CERCLA, 

as amended, 42 U.S.C. 9601(3)(B). 

Subpart B—Definitions and References 

■ 2. Section 312.11 is amended by 

adding paragraph (c) to read as follows: 

§ 312.11 References. 

* * * * * 

(c) The procedures of ASTM 

International Standard E1527–21 

entitled ‘‘Standard Practice for 

Environmental Site Assessments: Phase 

I Environmental Site Assessment 

Process.’’ This standard is available 

from ASTM International at 

www.astm.org, 1–610–832–9585. 

[FR Doc. 2022–05259 Filed 3–11–22; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 6560–50–P 

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR 

Bureau of Land Management 

43 CFR Parts 3160 and 9230 

[212.LLHQ310000.L13100000.PP0000] 

RIN 1004–AE85 

Onshore Oil and Gas Operations and 

Coal Trespass—Annual Civil Penalties 

Inflation Adjustments 

AGENCY: Bureau of Land Management, 

Interior. 

ACTION: Final rule. 

SUMMARY: This final rule adjusts the 

level of civil monetary penalties 

contained in the Bureau of Land 

Management’s (BLM) regulations 

governing onshore oil and gas 

operations and coal trespass as required 

by the Federal Civil Penalties Inflation 

Adjustment Act Improvements Act of 

2015 and consistent with applicable 

Office of Management and Budget 

(OMB) guidance. The penalty 

adjustments made by this final rule 

constitute the 2022 annual inflation 

adjustments, accounting for one year of 

inflation spanning the period from 

October 2020 through October 2021. 

DATES: This rule is effective on March 

14, 2022. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For 

information regarding the BLM’s Fluid 

Minerals Program, please contact 

Rebecca Good, Deputy Division Chief, 

Fluid Minerals Division, telephone: 

307–251–3487; email: rgood@blm.gov. 

For information regarding the BLM’s 

Solid Minerals Program, please contact 

Lindsey Curnutt, Division Chief, Solid 

Minerals Division, telephone: 775–824– 

2910; email: lcurnutt@blm.gov. 

For questions relating to regulatory 

process issues, please contact Jennifer 

Noe, Division of Regulatory Affairs, 

email: jnoe@blm.gov. Persons who use a 

telecommunications device for the deaf 

(TDD) may call the Federal Relay 

Service (FRS) at 1–800–877–8339, 24 

hours a day, 7 days a week to contact 

the above individuals. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 


jspears on DSK121TN23PROD with RULES1