Source: https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2006/11/20/E6-19514/agency-information-collection-activities-submitted-for-office-of-management-and-budget-omb-review
Timestamp: 2018-03-21 00:13:34
Document Index: 248833866

Matched Legal Cases: ['art 203', 'arts 203', 'art 2', '§\u2009203', '§\u2009203', 'art 203']

67155-67158 (4 pages)
https://www.federalregister.gov/d/E6-19514 https://www.federalregister.gov/d/E6-19514
Notice of a revision of an information collection (1010-0071).
You may submit comments on this information collection directly to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs, OMB, Attention: Desk Officer for the Department of the Interior via OMB e-mail: (OIRA_DOCKET@omb.eop.gov); or by fax (202) 395-6566; identify with (1010-0071).
E-mail MMS at rules.comments@mms.gov. Use Information Collection Number 1010-0071 in the subject line.
Mail or hand-carry comments to the Department of the Interior, Minerals Management Service, Attention: Rules Processing Team (RPT), 381 Elden Street, MS-4024, Herndon, Virginia 20170-4817. Please reference “Information Collection 1010-0071” in your comments.
Title: 30 CFR part 203, “Relief or Reduction in Royalty Rates.”
Section 302 of the DWRRA provides that new production from a lease in existence on November 28, 1995, in a water depth of at least 200 meters, and in the GOM west of 87 degrees, 30 minutes West longitude qualifies for royalty suspension in certain situations. To grant a royalty suspension, the Secretary must determine that the new production or development would not be economic in the absence of royalty relief. The Secretary must then determine the volume of production on Start Printed Page 67156which no royalty would be due in order to make the new production from the lease economically viable. This determination is done on a case-by-case basis. Production from leases in the same water depth and area issued after November 28, 2000, also can qualify for royalty suspension in addition to any that may be included in their lease terms.
We will protect information from respondents considered proprietary according to 30 CFR parts 203.6(b) and 250, and the Freedom of Information Act (5 U.S.C. 552) and its implementing regulations (43 CFR part 2). No items of a sensitive nature are collected. Responses are required to obtain a benefit.
Estimated Reporting and Recordkeeping “Hour” Burden: The estimated annual “hour” burden for this information collection is a total of 4,721 hours. The following chart details the individual components and estimated hour burdens. In calculating the burdens, we assumed that respondents perform certain requirements in the normal course of their activities. We consider these to be usual and customary and took that into account in estimating the burden.
43(a); 46(a) Notify MMS of intent to begin drilling 1 45 45
43(b)(1), (2), (d), (e) Notify MMS that production has begun, request extension, request confirmation of the size of RSV 2 15 30
46 Provide data from well to confirm and attest well drilled was an unsuccessful certified well and request supplement 8 10 80
51; 83; 84 Application—leases that generate earnings that cannot sustain continued production (end-of-life lease) 100 1 Application every 3 years 34 (rounded)
Application 1/3 × $8,000 = $2,667 (rounded)*
Audit 1/3 × $12,500 = $4,167 (rounded)
61; 62; 64; 65; 71; 83; 85-89 Application—leases in designated areas of GOM deep water acquired in lease sale before 11/28/95 or after 11/28/00 and are producing (deep water expansion project) 2,000 1 Application every 3 years 667 (rounded)
61; 62; 64; 65; 203.71; 203.83; 203.85-89 Application—leases in designated areas of deep water GOM, acquired in lease sale before 11/28/95 or after 11/28/00, that have not produced (pre-act or post-2000 deep water leases) 2,000 1 Application every 3 years 667 (rounded)
Application 1/3 × $34,000 = $11,334 (rounded)*
Audit 1/3 × $37,500 = $12,500
61; 62; 64; 65; 71; 83; 85-89 Application—preview assessment (seldom if ever will be used as applicants generally opt for binding determination by MMS instead) 900 1 Application every 3 years 300
Application 1/3 × $34,000 = $11,334 (rounded)
74; 75 Redetermination 500 1 Redetermination every 3 years 167 (rounded)
70; 81; 90; 91 Submit fabricator's confirmation report 20 1 Report every 3 years 7 (rounded)
70; 81; 90; 92 Submit post-production development report 50 1 Report* every 3 years 17 (rounded)
70; 79(a) Request reconsideration of MMS field designation 400 1 Request every 3 years 134 (rounded)
80 Application—apart from formal programs for royalty relief for marginal producing lease (Special Case Relief) 250 2 applications 500
Application 2 × $8,000** = $16,000
80 Application—apart from formal programs for royalty relief for marginal expansion project or marginal non-producing lease (Special Case Relief) GOM 1,000 2 Applications 2000
Application 2 × $19,500** = $39,000
Application 1 × $6,500*** = $6,500
81; 83-89 Required reports Burden included with applications 0
83 Application—short form to add or assign pre-Act lease 40 1 Application every 3 years 14 (rounded)
91 Retain supporting cost records for post-production development/fabrication reports (records retained as usual/customary business practice; minimal burden to make available at MMS request) 8 2 Recordkeepers 16
Total Annual Burden 89 Responses 4,721 Hours
Estimated Reporting and Recordkeeping “Non-Hour Cost” Burden: There are two non-hour costs associated with this information collection. The estimated non-hour cost burden is $280,670. This estimate is based on:
(b) Cost of reports prepared by independent certified public accountants. Under § 203.81, a report prepared by an independent certified public accountant (CPA) must accompany the application and post-production report (expansion project, short form, and preview assessment applications are excluded). The OCS Lands Act applications will require this report only once; the DWRRA applications will require this report at two stages—with the application and post-production development report for successful applicants. MMS estimates approximately three submissions each year at an average cost of $45,000 per report, for a total estimated annual cost burden of $135,000.
Comments: Section 3506(c)(2)(A) of the PRA (44 U.S.C. 3501, et seq.) requires each agency “* * * to provide notice * * * and otherwise consult with members of the public and affected agencies concerning each proposed collection of information * * * ” Agencies must specifically solicit comments to: (a) Evaluate whether the proposed collection of information is necessary for the agency to perform its duties, including whether the information is useful; (b) evaluate the accuracy of the agency's estimate of the burden of the proposed collection of information; (c) enhance the quality, usefulness, and clarity of the information to be collected; and (d) minimize the burden on the respondents, including the use of automated collection techniques or other forms of information technology.
To comply with the public consultation process, on March 15, 2006, we published a Federal Register notice (71 FR 13420) announcing that we would submit this ICR to OMB for approval. The notice provided the required 60-day comment period. In addition, § 203.82 provides the OMB control number for the information collection requirements imposed by the 30 CFR part 203 regulations. The regulation also informs the public that they may comment at any time on the collections of information and provides the address to which they should send comments. We received two comments in response to these efforts. Neither comment was germane to the IC cost or hour burden or the subject of the collection itself.
Public Comment Procedures: MMS's practice is to make comments, including names and addresses of respondents, available for public review. If you wish your name and/or address to be withheld, you must state this prominently at the beginning of your comment. MMS will honor the request to the extent allowable by the law; however, anonymous comments will Start Printed Page 67158not be considered. There may be circumstances in which we would withhold from the record a respondent's identity, as allowable by the law. If you wish us to withhold your name and/or address, you must state this prominently at the beginning of your comment. In addition, you must present a rationale for withholding this information. This rationale must demonstrate that disclosure “would constitute an unwarranted invasion of primary.” Unsupported assertions will not meet this burden. In the absence of exception, documentable circumstances, this information will be released. All submissions from organizations or businesses, and from individuals identifying themselves as representatives or officials of organizations or businesses, will be made available for public inspection in their entirety.
[FR Doc. E6-19514 Filed 11-17-06; 8:45 am]