Federal Register / Vol. 62, No. 167 / Thursday, August 28, 1997 / Notices 45681

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Minerals Management Service

Agency Information Collection

Activities: Proposed Collection;

Comment Request

AGENCY: Minerals Management Service

(MMS), Interior.

ACTION: Notice of revision of a currently

approved information collection (OMB

Control Number 1010–0006).

SUMMARY: As part of its continuing effort

to reduce paperwork and respondent

burden, MMS invites the public and

other Federal agencies to comment on a

proposal to extend and revise the

currently approved collection of

information discussed below. The

Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (PRA)

provides that an agency may not

conduct or sponsor, and a person is not

required to respond to, a collection of

information unless it displays a

currently valid Office of Management

and Budget (OMB) control number.

DATES: Submit written comments by

October 27, 1997.

ADDRESSES: Direct all written comments

to the Rules Processing Team, Minerals

Management Service, Mail Stop 4020,

381 Elden Street, Herndon, Virginia

20170–4817.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Alexis London, Rules Processing Team,

telephone (703) 787–1600.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Title: 30 CFR Part 256, Leasing of

Sulphur or Oil and Gas in the Outer

Continental Shelf.

Abstract: The Outer Continental Shelf

Lands Act (OCSLA), as amended, 43

U.S.C. 1331 et seq., requires the

Secretary of the Interior (Secretary) to

preserve, protect, and develop offshore

oil and gas resources; to make such

resources available to meet the Nation’s

energy needs as rapidly as possible; to

balance orderly energy resource

development with protection of the

human, marine, and coastal

environments; to ensure the public a fair

and equitable return on the resources of

the OCS; and to preserve and maintain

free enterprise competition. The Energy

Policy and Conservation Act of 1975

(EPCA) prohibits certain lease bidding

arrangements (42 U.S.C. 6213 (c)).

The MMS uses the information

collected under Part 256 to determine if

applicants are qualified to hold leases in

the OCS. For example, MMS uses the

information to: (a) verify the

qualifications of a bidder on an OCS

lease sale; (b) develop the semiannual

List of Restricted Joint Bidders that

identifies parties which are ineligible to

bid jointly with each other on OCS lease

sales, under limitations established by

the EPCA; (c) ensure the qualification of

assignees; (d) document that a leasehold

or geographical subdivision has been

surrendered by the record title holder,

and (e) verify that lessees have adequate

bonding coverage. If MMS did not

collect the information, we would be

unable to comply with the mandates of

the OCSLA and the EPCA.

The individual responses to Calls for

Information are the only information

collected involving the protection of

confidentiality. The MMS will protect

specific individual replies from

disclosure as proprietary information in

accordance with section 26 of the

OCSLA and 30 CFR 256.10(d). No items

of a sensitive nature are collected.

Responses are required to obtain or

retain a benefit.

Estimated Number and Description of

Respondents: Approximately 130

Federal OCS sulphur or oil and gas

lessees.

Frequency: The frequency of reporting

and number of responses vary for each

section and are mostly on occasion or

annual (see chart below). There are no

recordkeeping requirements in 30 CFR

part 256.

Estimated Annual Reporting and

Recordkeeping Hour Burden: 17,525

burden hours (see chart below).

BURDEN BREAKDOWN

Citation

30 CFR

Part 256

Reporting

requirement

Annual

Number of

responses

Burden

per

response

(hours)

Annual

burden

hours

Subparts A, E, H, L, M ............................ None ...................................................... Not applicable 0

Subparts B, D, F ..................................... Public notice and comment process

through the Federal Register.

Exempt as defined in 5 CFR

1320.3(h)(4)

0

Subpart C ................................................ Reports from Federal agencies ............. Exempt as defined in 5 CFR

1320.3(c)(4)

0

Various Subparts: 256.37; 256.53;

256.68; 256.70; 256.71; 256.72;

256.73.

Request approval for various operations

or submit plans or applications.

Burden included with other approved

collections in 30 CFR Part 250

0

Subpart G: 256.41; 256.43 ...................... Submit qualification of bidders for joint

bids and statement of production.

200 responses ....... 4.5 900

256.46 ...................................................... Submit bids ............................................ 2,000 bids .............. 1 2,000

256.47(c) ................................................. File agreement to accept joint lease on

tie bids.

1 agreement .......... 4 4

256.47(e)(1), (e)(3) .................................. Request for reconsideration of bid rejection.Exempt as defined in 5 CFR

1320.3(h)(9)

0

256.47; 256.50 ........................................ Execute lease (includes submission of

evidence of authorized agent and request for dating of leases).

629 leases ............. 1 629

Subpart I .................................................. Provide bonding document certifications, etc.Exempt as defined in 5 CFR

1320.3(h)(1)

0

256.53(c), (d), (f) ..................................... Demonstrate ability to carry out present

and future financial obligations and/or

request reduction in amount of supplemental bond required.

150 submissions .... .25 37.5

256.55(b) ................................................. Notify MMS of action filed alleging lessee, surety, or guarantor are insolvent or bankrupt.1 notice .................. .5 .5
45682 Federal Register / Vol. 62, No. 167 / Thursday, August 28, 1997 / Notices

BURDEN BREAKDOWN—Continued

Citation

30 CFR

Part 256

Reporting

requirement

Annual

Number of

responses

Burden

per

response

(hours)

Annual

burden

hours

256.56 ...................................................... Provide plan to fund lease-specific

abandonment account and related information.

3 submissions ........ 8 24

256.57 ...................................................... Provide third-party guarantee, related

notices, and annual update.

10 submissions ...... .5 5

256.58(a) ................................................. Request termination of period of liability

and cancellation of bond.

50 requests ............ .5 25

Subpart J: 256.62; 256.64; 256.67 ......... File application for assignment or transfer.2,275 applications .. 5 11,375

256.64(a)(8) ............................................. Submit non-required documents for

record purposes.

Voluntary, non-required submissions

of documents the lessee wants MMS to

file with the lease.

0

Subpart K: 256.76 ................................... File written request for relinquishment .. 505 relinquishments.5 2,525

Total Reporting ............................. ................................................................ 5,824 ...................... ............................ 17,525

Estimated Annual Reporting and

Recordkeeping Cost Burden: $420,875

for transfer application fees

(approximately 2,275 applications ×

$185 fee) and $62,500 for non-required

documents filing fees (approximately

2,500 requests × $25 fee).

Comments: The MMS will summarize

written responses to this notice and

address them in its submission for OMB

approval. All comments will become a

matter of public record. As a result of

comments we receive and our

consultations with a representative

sample of respondents, we will make

any necessary adjustments to the burden

in our submission to OMB. In

calculating the burden shown in the

chart above, MMS assumed that

respondents perform many of the

requirements and maintain records in

the normal course of their activities. The

MMS considers these to be usual and

customary and took that into account in

estimating the burden.

(1) The MMS specifically solicits

comments on the following questions:

(a) Is the proposed collection of

information necessary for MMS to

properly perform its functions, and will

it be useful?

(b) Are the estimates of the burden

hours of the proposed collection

reasonable?

(c) Do you have any suggestions that

would enhance the quality, clarity, or

usefulness of the information to be

collected?

(d) Is there a way to minimize the

information collection burden on

respondents, including through the use

of appropriate automated electronic,

mechanical, or other forms of

information technology?

(2) In addition, the Paperwork

Reduction Act of 1995 requires agencies

to estimate the total annual cost burden

to respondents or recordkeepers

resulting from the collection of

information. We need to know if you

have any other cost burdens in addition

to the filing fees required in 30 CFR part

256. Your response should split the cost

estimate into two components:

(a) total capital and startup cost

component, and

(b) annual operation, maintenance,

and purchase of services component.

Your estimates should consider the

costs to generate, maintain, and disclose

or provide the information. You should

describe the methods you use to

estimate major cost factors, including

system and technology acquisition,

expected useful life of capital

equipment, discount rate(s), and the

period over which you incur costs.

Capital and startup costs include,

among other items, computers and

software you purchase to prepare for

collecting information; monitoring,

sampling, drilling, and testing

equipment; and record storage facilities.

Generally, your estimates should not

include equipment or services

purchased: (i) before October 1, 1995;

(ii) to comply with requirements not

associated with the information

collection; (iii) for reasons other than to

provide information or keep records for

the Government; or (iv) as part of

customary and usual business or private

practices.

MMS Information Collection

Clearance Officer: Jo Ann Lauterbach,

(202) 208–7744.

Dated: August 19, 1997.

E.P. Danenberger,

Chief, Engineering and Operations Division.

[FR Doc. 97–22874 Filed 8–27–97; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 4310–MR–P

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Minerals Management Service

Notice and Agenda for Meeting of the

Royalty Policy Committee of the

Minerals Management Advisory Board

AGENCY: Minerals Management Service,

Interior.

ACTION: Notice of meeting.

SUMMARY: The Secretary of the

Department of the Interior (Department)

has established a Royalty Policy

Committee, on the Minerals

Management Advisory Board, to provide

advice on the Department’s management

of Federal and Indian minerals leases,

revenues, and other minerals related

policies.

Committee membership includes

representatives from States, Indian

Tribes and allottee organizations,

minerals industry associations, the

general public, and Federal

Departments.

At this fifth meeting, the Minerals

Management Service (MMS) will be

prepared to respond to questions

concerning plans to implement

previously approved reports.

The Committee will consider progress

reports and recommendations by the

Net Receipts Sharing and Coal

subcommittees. Additionally, the

Committee will hear status reports from

some of the current efforts being

undertaken by the Royalty Management

Program.

DATES: The meeting will be held on

Thursday, September 25, 1997, 8:30

a.m.–4:00 p.m.

ADDRESSES: The meeting will be held at

the Embassy Suites, Denver Southeast,

7525 East Hampden Avenue, Denver,