[Federal Register Volume 63, Number 2 (Monday, January 5, 1998)]
[Notices]
[Page 253]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 98-122]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Minerals Management Service


Agency Information Collection Activities: Submitted for Office of 
Management and Budget Review; Comment Request

    Title: Designation of Royalty Payment Responsibility.
    OMB Control Number: 1010-0107.
    Comments: This collection of information has been submitted to the 
Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for approval. In compliance with 
the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, Section 3506 (c)(2)(A), we are 
notifying you, members of the public and affected agencies, of this 
collection of information and are inviting your comments. Is this 
information collection necessary for us to properly do our job? Have we 
accurately estimated the public's burden for responding to this 
collection? Can we enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of the 
information we collect? Can we lessen the burden of this information 
collection on the respondents by using automated collection techniques 
or other forms of information technology?
    Comments should be made directly to the Attention: Desk Officer for 
the Interior Department, Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs, 
Office of Management and Budget, Washington, D.C. 20503; telephone 
(202) 395-7340. Copies of these comments should also be sent to us. The 
U.S. Postal Service address is Minerals Management Service, Royalty 
Management Program, Rules and Publications Staff, P.O. Box 25165, MS 
3021, Denver, Colorado 80225-0165; the courier address is Building 85, 
Room A-613, Denver Federal Center, Denver, Colorado 80225; and the e-
Mail address is David--G<a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#4237383b022f2f316c252d34"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="f4818e8db4999987da939b82">[email protected]</span></a>. OMB has up to 60 days to approve 
or disapprove the information collection but may respond after 30 days; 
therefore, public comments should be submitted to OMB within 30 days in 
order to assure their maximum consideration.
    Copies of the proposed information collection and related 
explanatory material may be obtained by contacting Dennis C. Jones, 
Rules and Publications Staff, telephone (303) 231-3046, FAX (303) 231-
3385, e-Mail Dennis__C__J<a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#ee81808b9dae83839dc0898198"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="b3dcddd6c0f3dedec09dd4dcc5">[email protected]</span></a>.

DATES: Written comments should be received on or before February 4, 
1998.

SUMMARY: The Federal Oil and Gas Royalty Simplification and Fairness 
Act of 1996 (RSFA), Pub. L. 104-185, as corrected by Pub. L. 104-200, 
establishes the owners of operating rights and/or lease record title 
(who are jointly defined as ``lessees'' under RSFA) as responsible for 
making royalty and related payments on a Federal lease. Currently, it 
is common for a payor rather than a lessee to make royalty and related 
payments on a Federal lease. When a payor pays royalties on a Federal 
lease on behalf of a lessee, RSFA requires that the lessee certify to 
MMS in writing that a particular payor has been designated by the 
lessee to make such royalty and related payments to MMS on behalf of 
the lessee. RSFA made this payor designation requirement effective for 
lease production beginning September 1, 1996. We may require some 
payors to provide us information regarding the lessees on whose behalf 
they are paying if we need to inform those lessees that they must 
certify to MMS in writing their respective payors as their designees. 
We are asking payors and lessees to provide data required under RSFA so 
that we can fully implement the Act.
    Description of Respondents: Federal lessees and payors.
    Frequency of Response: As necessary.
    Bureau Form Number: MMS-4425.
    Estimated Reporting and Recordkeeping Burden: 1 hour.
    Annual Responses: 24,000.
    Annual Burden Hours: 24,000 hours.
    Bureau Clearance Officer: Jo Ann Lauterbach, (202) 208-7744.

    Dated: December 9, 1997.
R. Dale Fazio,
Acting Associate Director for Royalty Management.
[FR Doc. 98-122 Filed 1-2-98; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4310-MR-P


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