BIS Sends Space-Related Export Controls NPRM to OMB

On Monday, the OMB’s Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs (OIRA) announced that it had received a notice of proposed rulemaking (NPRM) from the DOC’s Bureau of Industry and Security on “Export Administration Regulations: Revisions to Space-Related Export Controls, Including Addition of License Exception Commercial Space Activities (CSA)”. An advanced notice of proposed rulemaking (ANPRM) on the topic was published on March 8^th, 2019.

According to the Spring 2024 Unified Agenda for this rulemaking:

“As part of its work with the National Space Council, the Bureau of Industry and Security, Department of Commerce requested public comment to inform its review of the controls implemented in recent revisions to Categories IV and XV of the United States Munitions List (USML) and the related transfer of items to the Department of Commerce's Commerce Control List (CCL) in an advanced notice of proposed rulemaking published on March 8, 2019. These items include launch vehicles, guided missiles, ballistic missiles, rockets, torpedoes, bombs, and mines; and spacecraft and related articles. BIS's review seeks to ensure that the CCL describes these items clearly, captures those items in normal commercial use, accounts for technological developments, and implements the national security and foreign policy objectives of the United States properly.  This proposed rule implements changes identified in response to the comments received on the March 8 ANPRM and subsequent review by the Department of Commerce and other agencies involved in the review process.”