Agency Information Collection Activities; Submission to the Office of Management and Budget for Review and Approval; Solid Minerals and Geothermal Collections, 53745-53748 [2019-21863]
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Federal Register / Vol. 84, No. 195 / Tuesday, October 8, 2019 / Notices
portion of the subdivisional lines, and a
portion of the subdivision of section 30, and
the survey of a portion of the subdivisional
lines, and the survey of a portion of the
present meanders of the right and left banks
of the San Juan River, accepted August 21,
2019, Group No. 1150, Utah.
DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
Bureau of Land Management
[19XL1109AF LLUT925000–L14400000–
BJ0000–241A]
Notice of Filing of Plats of Survey;
Utah
Bureau of Land Management,
Interior
ACTION: Notice of Filing of Plats of
Survey; Utah
AGENCY:
The Bureau of Land
Management (BLM) will file the plats of
survey of the lands described below in
the BLM Utah State Office, Salt Lake
City, Utah, 30 calendar days from the
date of this publication.
DATES: A person or party who wishes to
protest one or more of the plats of
survey must file a written notice by
November 7, 2019.
ADDRESSES: Written notices protesting
this survey must be sent to the Utah
State Director, BLM Utah State Office,
440 West 200 South, Suite 500, Salt
Lake City, Utah 84101–1345.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Daniel W. Webb, Chief Cadastral
Surveyor for Utah, Bureau of Land
Management, Branch of Geographic
Sciences, 440 West 200 South, Suite
500, Salt Lake City, Utah 84101–1345,
telephone (801) 539–4135, or email
dwebb@blm.gov. Persons who use a
telecommunications device for the deaf
(TDD) may call the Federal Relay
Service (FRS) at 1–800–877–8339 to
contact the above individual during
normal business hours. The FRS is
available 24 hours a day, seven days a
week, to leave a message or question
with the above individual. You will
receive a reply during normal business
hours.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: These
surveys were executed at the request of
the Bureau of Indian Affairs. The lands
surveyed are:
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SUMMARY:
Salt Lake Meridian, Utah
T. 40 S., R. 21 E.,
The dependent resurvey of a portion of the
south boundary (Eighth Standard Parallel
South), a portion of the subdivisional lines,
the subdivision of sections 25, 33, and 34, the
survey of a portion of the subdivisional lines,
the survey of a portion of the present
meanders of the right and left banks, and the
informative traverse of a portion of the right
bank of the San Juan River, accepted August
21, 2019, Group No. 1150, Utah.
T. 40 S., R. 22 E.,
The dependent resurvey of the south
boundary (Eighth Standard Parallel South), a
portion of the east boundary (Colorado Guide
Meridian), a portion of the west boundary, a
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Copies of the plats and related field
notes will be placed in the open files.
They will be available for public review
in the BLM Utah State Office as a matter
of information.
A person or party who wishes to
protest one or more of the above surveys
must file a written notice within 30
calendar days from the date of this
publication with the Utah State
Director, Bureau of Land Management,
at the address listed in the ADDRESSES
section, stating that they wish to protest.
The notice of protest must identify the
plat(s) of survey that the person or party
wishes to protest. A statement of
reasons for the protest, if not filed with
the notice of protest, must be filed with
the Utah State Director within 30
calendar days after the notice of protest
is filed. If a notice of protest against a
plat of survey is received prior to the
date of official filing, the filing will be
stayed pending consideration of the
protest. The plat will not be officially
filed until the day after all protests have
been dismissed or otherwise resolved.
Before including your address, phone
number, email address, or other
personal identifying information in your
protest, you should be aware that your
entire protest—including your personal
identifying information—may be made
publicly available at any time. While
you can ask us to withhold your
personal identifying information from
public review, we cannot guarantee that
we will be able to do so.
Authority: 43 U.S.C. Chap. 3.
Daniel W. Webb,
Chief Cadastral Surveyor for Utah.
[FR Doc. 2019–21952 Filed 10–7–19; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4310–DQ–P
DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
Office of Natural Resources Revenue
[Docket No. ONRR–2011–0001; DS63644000
DRT000000.CH7000 201D1113RT; OMB
Control Number 1012–0010]
Agency Information Collection
Activities; Submission to the Office of
Management and Budget for Review
and Approval; Solid Minerals and
Geothermal Collections
Office of the Secretary, Office
of Natural Resources Revenue, Interior.
AGENCY:
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53745
Notice of information collection;
request for comment.
ACTION:
In accordance with the
Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, the
Office of Natural Resources Revenue
(ONRR) is proposing to renew an
information collection with revisions.
ONRR seeks renewed authority to
collect information through four forms
that lessees use to report the production
and royalties on solid minerals and
geothermal resources produced from
Federal and Indian lands.
DATES: Interested persons are invited to
submit written comments on or before
November 7, 2019.
ADDRESSES: Send written comments on
this information collection request (ICR)
to the Office of Management and
Budget’s Desk Officer for the
Department of the Interior by email to
OIRA_Submission@omb.eop.gov or
facsimile to (202) 395–5806. Please
provide a copy of your comments to Mr.
Armand Southall, Regulatory Specialist,
ONRR, P.O. Box 25165, MS 64400B,
Denver, Colorado 80225–0165, or by
email to Armand.Southall@onrr.gov.
Please reference ‘‘OMB Control Number
1012–0010’’ in the subject line of your
comments.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mr.
Michael Anspach, Solid Minerals,
ONRR, at (303) 231–3618, or email to
Michael.Anspach@onrr.gov. You may
also review the ICR at https://
www.reginfo.gov/public/do/PRAMain.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: In
accordance with the Paperwork
Reduction Act of 1995, we provide the
general public and other Federal
agencies with an opportunity to
comment on new, proposed, revised,
and continuing collections of
information. This helps us assess the
impact of our information collection
requirements and minimize the public’s
reporting burden. It also helps the
public understand our information
collection requirements and provide the
requested data in the desired format.
We published a notice, with a 60-day
public comment period soliciting
comments on this collection of
information, in the Federal Register on
May 7, 2019 (84 FR 19946). During the
60-day period, we specifically reached
out to seven companies impacted by
this ICR to request input. In response to
the outreach, we received five
responsive comments.
The first comment we received stated:
I have read Federal Register (84 FR
19946, May 7, 2019). I have no
comments at this time.
The second comment we received
stated:
SUMMARY:
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I have read through the Federal
Register notice that you have provided
and have no official comments to report.
The third comment we received
stated:
The entry of data into the system is
cumbersome and with today’s
technology there should be a way to
import our information into the system.
Working within the restraints of the
system tends to add additional time to
any task. The constraints of a single
PAR a day submission is difficult to
work with. Overall system reliability
seems to cause several down times that
can make submission difficult.
The fourth comment we received
stated:
I have read the Federal Register
notice regarding OMB Control No. 1012–
0010, Solid Minerals Collections. In
section I. Abstract, OMB Approval it
states ‘‘We protect the proprietary
information that ONRR receives and do
not collect items of a sensitive nature’’.
I agree with the first half of this
sentence, however ONRR does collect
items of a sensitive nature which are
listed in section A. Solid Minerals.
Thank you.
The fifth comment we received stated:
A company provided adjustments to
the following parts and sections of the
Respondents’ Estimated Annual Burden
Hours Chart:
Part 1210—Forms and Reports;
Subpart E—Solid Minerals, General
§ 1210.201: Hour burden—0.5 hour;
Average number of annual responses—
12; Annual burden hours—6 hours.
§ 1210.202: Hour burden—0.5 hour;
Average number of annual responses—
12; Annual burden hours—6 hours.
§ 1210.205: Hour burden—0.5 hour;
Average number of annual responses—
12; Annual burden hours—6 hours.
Part 1218—Collection of Royalties,
Rentals, and Bonuses, and Other Monies
Due the Federal Government; Subpart
F—Geothermal Resources
§ 1218.300: Hour burden—2 hours;
Average number of annual responses—
2; Annual burden hours—4 hours.
§ 1218.306(a): Hour burden—3 hours;
Average number of annual responses—
3; Annual burden hours—9 hours.
§ 1218.306(b): Hour burden—2 hours;
Average number of annual responses—
12; Annual burden hours—24 hours.
Once again, we are soliciting
comments on this proposed ICR that is
described below. We are especially
interested in public comment
addressing the following issues: (1) Is
the collection necessary to execute
ONRR’s proper functions; (2) will this
information be processed and used in a
timely manner; (3) is the estimate of
burden hours accurate; (4) how might
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ONRR enhance the quality, usefulness,
and clarity of the information collected;
and (5) how might ONRR minimize the
burden of this collection on the
respondents, including the use of
information technology.
Comments that you submit in
response to this notice are a matter of
public record. Before including your
personally identifiable information (PII),
such as your address, phone number,
email address, or other PII in your
comment(s), you should be aware that
your entire comment, including PII, may
be made available to the public at any
time. While you can ask us, in your
comment, to withhold your PII from
public view, we cannot guarantee that
we will be able to do so.
Abstract: The Secretary of the United
States Department of the Interior is
responsible for mineral resource
development on Federal and Indian
lands and the Outer Continental Shelf
(OCS). Also, the Secretary is responsible
for collecting royalty information from
lessees who produce minerals from
Federal and Indian lands and the OCS.
Under various laws, the Secretary’s
responsibility is to (1) manage mineral
resources production from Federal and
Indian lands and the OCS; (2) collect the
royalties and other mineral revenues
due; and (3) distribute the funds
collected. We have posted the laws
pertaining to mineral leases on Federal
and Indian lands and the OCS at https://
www.onrr.gov/Laws_R_D/PubLaws/
default.htm.
The Secretary also has a trust
responsibility to manage Indian lands
and seek advice and information from
Indian beneficiaries. ONRR performs the
minerals revenue management functions
for the Secretary and assists the
Secretary in carrying out the
Department’s trust responsibility for
Indian lands.
You can find the information
collections covered in this ICR at 30
CFR parts:
• 1202, subpart H, which pertains to
geothermal resources royalties.
• 1206, subparts F, H, and J, which
pertain to product valuation of Federal
coal, geothermal resources, and Indian
coal.
• 1210, subparts E and H, which
pertain to production and royalty
reports on solid minerals and
geothermal resources leases.
• 1212, subparts E and H, which
pertain to recordkeeping of reports and
files for solid minerals and geothermal
resources leases.
• 1217, subparts E, F, and G, which
pertain to audits and inspections of
coal, other solid minerals, and
geothermal resources leases.
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• 1218, subparts E and F, which
pertain to royalties, rentals, bonuses,
and other monies payment for solid
minerals and geothermal resources.
All data reported is subject to
subsequent audit and adjustment.
General Information
When a company or an individual
enters into a lease to explore, develop,
produce, and sell, or otherwise dispose
of, minerals from Federal or Indian
lands, that company or individual
agrees to pay the lessor a share in an
amount or value of production from the
leased lands. The lessee, or its designee,
must report various kinds of
information to the lessor related to the
disposition of the leased minerals. Such
information is generally available
within the records of the lessee or others
involved in developing, transporting,
processing, purchasing, or selling such
minerals.
Information Collections
ONRR, acting for the Secretary, uses
the information we collect to ensure that
lessees accurately value and
appropriately pay all royalties and other
mineral revenues due based on the
correct product valuation. ONRR and
other Federal government entities,
including the Bureau of Land
Management, the Bureau of Indian
Affairs, and State and Tribal
governmental entities, use the
information for audit purposes and for
evaluating the reasonableness of
product valuation or allowance claims
that lessees submit. Please refer to the
burden hour chart for all reporting
requirements and associated burden
hours.
A. Solid Minerals
Producers of coal and other solid
minerals from any Federal or Indian
lease must submit the Solid Minerals
Production and Royalty Report (form
ONRR–4430) and other associated data
formats such as the Solid Minerals Sales
Summary (form ONRR–4440). These
companies also report certain data on
the Report of Sales and Royalty
Remittance (form ONRR–2014) (OMB
Control Number 1012–0004). Producers
of coal from any Indian lease must also
submit the Coal Washing Allowance
Report (form ONRR–4292) and the Coal
Transportation Allowance Report (form
ONRR–4293), if they wish to claim
allowances on form ONRR–4430. The
information that ONRR requests is the
minimum necessary to carry out our
mission and places the least possible
burden on respondents.
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Federal Register / Vol. 84, No. 195 / Tuesday, October 8, 2019 / Notices
subparts F and J. The two changes
relevant to this ICR are that ONRR: (1)
Simplified and improved the valuation
of coal disposed of in a non-arm’slength transaction and no-sale
situations; and (2) eliminated
benchmarks for valuation of non-arm’slength coal sales.
B. Geothermal Resources
This ICR also covers some of the
information collections for geothermal
resources, which ONRR groups by usage
(electrical generation, direct use, and
byproduct recovery), and by disposition
of the resources (arm’s-length
(unaffiliated) contract sales, non-arm’slength contract sales, and no contract
sales) within each use group. ONRR
relies primarily on data that payors
report on form ONRR–2014 for the
majority of our business processes,
including geothermal information. In
addition to using the data to account for
royalties that payors report, ONRR uses
the data for monthly distribution of
mineral revenues and for audit and
compliance reviews.
OMB Approval
We will request OMB approval to
continue to collect this information. Not
collecting this information would limit
the Secretary’s ability to discharge
fiduciary duties and may also result in
the loss of royalty payments. We protect
the proprietary information that ONRR
receives and do not collect items of a
sensitive nature. Reporters must submit
forms ONRR–4430 and ONRR–4440.
Also, ONRR requires that reporters
submit forms ONRR–4292 and ONRR–
4293 to claim allowances on form
ONRR–4430.
Revisions to ICR
In March 2019, the U.S. District Court
for the Northern District of California
vacated ONRR’s 2017 repeal of its 2016
Consolidated Federal Oil & Gas and
Federal & Indian Coal Valuation Reform
Rule (2016 Valuation Rule). By vacating
ONRR’s 2017 repeal, the Court
reinstated ONRR’s 2016 Valuation Rule,
originally published on July 1, 2016 (81
FR 43338), with its original effective
date of January 1, 2017.
This is an ICR with revisions because
it takes into account the 2016 Valuation
Rule, which amended ONRR’s Federal
and Indian coal valuation regulations.
This ICR requires revisions to note
changes to its authority when the final
rule amended 30 CFR part 1206,
Data
Title of Collection: Solid Minerals and
Geothermal Collections—30 CFR parts
1202, 1206, 1210, 1212, 1217, and 1218.
OMB Control Number: 1012–0010.
Form Numbers: ONRR–4292, ONRR–
4293, ONRR–4430, and ONRR–4440.
Type of Review: Revision of a
currently approved collection.
Respondents/Affected Public:
Businesses.
Total Estimated Number of Annual
Respondents: 100 reporters.
Total Estimated Number of Annual
Responses: 9,422.
Estimated Completion Time per
Response: The average completion time
is 24.65 minutes per response. The
average completion time is calculated
by first multiplying the estimated
annual burden hours from the table
below (3,871) by 60 minutes to obtain
the total annual burden minutes
(232,260). Then the total annual burden
minutes (232,260) is divided by the
estimated annual responses (9,422) from
the table below.
Total Estimated Number of Annual
Burden Hours: 3,871 hours.
Respondent’s Obligation: The records
maintenance and the filing of forms
ONRR–4430 and ONRR–4440 are
mandatory. The filing of forms ONRR–
4292 and ONRR–4293, and the
submission of solid minerals and
geothermal resource information that do
not have an ONRR form, are required to
obtain or retain a benefit.
Frequency of Collection: Monthly,
annually, and on occasion.
Total Estimated Annual Nonhour
Burden Cost: We have identified no
‘‘nonhour cost’’ burden associated with
this collection of information.
We have not included in our
estimates certain requirements
companies perform in the normal course
of business that ONRR considers usual
and customary. We displayed the
estimated annual burden hours by CFR
section and paragraph in the following
chart.
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SUMMARY OF INFORMATION COLLECTIONS
Number
of annual
responses
Information collections
(and 30 CFR references*)
Requirement
to respond
Frequency of
response
1. Reporting Formats: .............................................................................
• Form ONRR–4430, Solid Minerals Production and Royalty Report,
• Associated Data (facility data) [1206.258(a), 1206.262,
1206.263(a), 1206.264, 1206.268(c)(1) & (2), 1206.269(h)(1),
1206.270(a), 1206.271(a), 1206.451(a) & (b), 1206.455,
1206.458(a), 1210.201, 1210.203, 1210.204, 1218.201,
1218.203]
• Form ONRR–4440, Solid Minerals Sales Summary [1201.202]
2. Allowance Forms: ...............................................................................
Mandatory ..........
Monthly ...............
3,579
1,531
Mandatory ..........
Required to obtain a benefit.
Monthly ...............
Annually and on
occasion.
900
5
900
8
............................
............................
6
7
Mandatory ..........
On occasion .......
48
62
Mandatory ..........
As requested ......
4,884
1,363
• Form ONRR–4292, Coal Washing Allowance Report
[1206.467(a)(2),
1206.469(h)(1),
1206.470(d)(1),
1206.471(c)(1)]
• Form ONRR–4293, Coal Transportation Allowance Report
[1206.460(a)(2), 1206.461(c)(1), 1206.462(h)(1), 1206.464(c)(1)
& (e), 1206.464(c)(3)(i) & (ii)]
3.
Geothermal
Resources
[1206.353(g),
1206.354(b)(1)(ii),
1206.354(g),
1206.356(a)(3),
1206.356(c),
1206.359(g),
1206.364(a)(1); 1210.352; 1218.306(a)(2)].
4. Recordkeeping [1206.251(a), (b), & (d), 1206.253(g)(1),
1206.453(g)(1); 1212.200(a)].
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Annual
burden hours
53748
Federal Register / Vol. 84, No. 195 / Tuesday, October 8, 2019 / Notices
SUMMARY OF INFORMATION COLLECTIONS—Continued
Information collections
(and 30 CFR references*)
Total .................................................................................................
Requirement
to respond
Frequency of
response
............................
............................
Number
of annual
responses
9,422
Annual
burden hours
3,871
Note: Audit Process—The Office of Regulatory Affairs determined that the audit process is exempt from the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995
because ONRR staff asks non-standard questions to resolve exceptions.
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 OMB
control number.
Authority: Paperwork Reduction Act of
1995 (44 U.S.C. 3501 et seq).
Gregory J. Gould,
Director for Office of Natural Resources
Revenue.
[FR Doc. 2019–21863 Filed 10–7–19; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4335–30–P
DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
Bureau of Ocean Energy Management
[Docket No. BOEM–2019–0004]
Notice of Availability of the Proposed
Notice of Sale for Gulf of Mexico Outer
Continental Shelf Oil and Gas RegionWide Lease Sale 254
Bureau of Ocean Energy
Management, Interior.
ACTION: Notice of availability of the
proposed notice of sale for Gulf of
Mexico Outer Continental Shelf Oil and
Gas Region-wide Lease Sale 254.
AGENCY:
The Bureau of Ocean Energy
Management (BOEM) announces the
availability of the Proposed Notice of
Sale (NOS) for the proposed Gulf of
Mexico (GOM) Outer Continental Shelf
(OCS) Oil and Gas Region-wide Lease
Sale 254 (GOM Region-wide Sale 254).
BOEM is publishing this Notice
pursuant to its regulatory authority.
With regard to oil and gas leasing on the
OCS, the Secretary of the Interior,
pursuant to section 19 of the Outer
Continental Shelf Lands Act, provides
governors of affected states the
opportunity to review and comment on
the Proposed NOS. The Proposed NOS
describes the proposed size, timing, and
location of the sale, including lease
stipulations, terms and conditions,
minimum bids, royalty rates, and rental
rates.
DATES: Governors of affected states may
comment on the size, timing, and
location of proposed GOM Region-wide
Sale 254 within 60 days following their
receipt of the Proposed NOS. BOEM
will publish the Final NOS in the
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SUMMARY:
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Federal Register at least 30 days prior
to the date of bid opening. Bid opening
is currently scheduled for March 18,
2020.
ADDRESSES: The Proposed NOS for GOM
Region-wide Sale 254 and Proposed
NOS Package containing information
essential to potential bidders may be
obtained from the Public Information
Unit, Gulf of Mexico Region, Bureau of
Ocean Energy Management, 1201
Elmwood Park Boulevard, New Orleans,
Louisiana, 70123–2394; telephone: (504)
736–2519. The Proposed NOS and
Proposed NOS Package also are
available for downloading or viewing on
BOEM’s website at https://
www.boem.gov/Sale-254/.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Bernadette Thomas, Regional
Supervisor, Office of Leasing and Plans,
504–736–2596, Bernadette.Thomas@
boem.gov or Wright Jay Frank, Chief,
Leasing Policy and Management
Division, 703–787–1325, Wright.Frank@
boem.gov.
Authority: 43 U.S.C. 1345 and 30 CFR
556.304(c).
Walter D. Cruickshank,
Acting Director, Bureau of Ocean Energy
Management.
[FR Doc. 2019–21907 Filed 10–7–19; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4310–MR–P
INTERNATIONAL TRADE
COMMISSION
[Investigation No. 1205–13]
Recommended Modifications in the
Harmonized Tariff Schedule
U.S. International Trade
Commission.
ACTION: Notice of institution of
investigation.
AGENCY:
The U.S. International Trade
Commission (Commission) has
instituted Investigation No. 1205–13,
Recommended Modifications in the
Harmonized Tariff Schedule, 2020,
pursuant to section 1205 of the
Omnibus Trade and Competitiveness
Act of 1988 (the 1988 Act) (19 U.S.C.
3005), in order to recommend to the
President such modifications in the
SUMMARY:
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Harmonized Tariff Schedule of the
United States (HTS) as the Commission
considers necessary or appropriate
concerning; the World Customs
Organization’s (WCO) Recommendation
of June 28, 2019 that Contracting Parties
to the International Convention on the
Harmonized Commodity Description
and Coding System (Convention)
modify their tariff schedules to conform
with amendments to the Harmonized
System expected to enter into force on
January 1, 2022; and the HTS
nomenclature for blanched peanuts to
conform the HTS with a recent WCO
classification opinion.
DATES:
October 1, 2019: Posting of the WCO’s
Recommendation of June 28, 2019, on
the Commission website.
March 2020 (actual date to be
announced later): Posting of the
Commission’s proposed
recommendations on the Commission’s
website.
April 2020 (actual dates to be
announced later): Scheduling of a
public hearing and setting out dates by
which interested Federal agencies and
the public must file any written views
with the Commission on the
Commission’s proposed
recommendations.
September 2020 (actual date to be
announced later): Transmittal of the
Commission’s report to the President.
ADDRESSES: All Commission offices,
including the Commission’s hearing
rooms, are located in the United States
International Trade Commission
Building, 500 E Street SW, Washington,
DC. All written submissions should be
addressed to the Secretary to the
Commission, U.S. International Trade
Commission, 500 E Street SW,
Washington, DC 20436. The public
record for this investigation may be
viewed on the Commission’s Electronic
Docket Information System (EDIS) at
https://edis.usitc.gov/internal/.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Daniel P. Shepherdson, AttorneyAdvisor, Office of Tariff Affairs and
Trade Agreements ((202) 205–2598, or
Daniel.Shepherdson@usitc.gov) or
Vanessa Lee, Nomenclature Analyst,
Office of Tariff Affairs and Trade
Agreements ((202) 205–2053, or
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[Federal Register Volume 84, Number 195 (Tuesday, October 8, 2019)]
[Notices]
[Pages 53745-53748]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2019-21863]
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
Office of Natural Resources Revenue
[Docket No. ONRR-2011-0001; DS63644000 DRT000000.CH7000 201D1113RT; OMB
Control Number 1012-0010]
Agency Information Collection Activities; Submission to the
Office of Management and Budget for Review and Approval; Solid Minerals
and Geothermal Collections
AGENCY: Office of the Secretary, Office of Natural Resources Revenue,
Interior.
ACTION: Notice of information collection; request for comment.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
SUMMARY: In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, the
Office of Natural Resources Revenue (ONRR) is proposing to renew an
information collection with revisions. ONRR seeks renewed authority to
collect information through four forms that lessees use to report the
production and royalties on solid minerals and geothermal resources
produced from Federal and Indian lands.
DATES: Interested persons are invited to submit written comments on or
before November 7, 2019.
ADDRESSES: Send written comments on this information collection request
(ICR) to the Office of Management and Budget's Desk Officer for the
Department of the Interior by email to [email protected] or
facsimile to (202) 395-5806. Please provide a copy of your comments to
Mr. Armand Southall, Regulatory Specialist, ONRR, P.O. Box 25165, MS
64400B, Denver, Colorado 80225-0165, or by email to
[email protected]. Please reference ``OMB Control Number 1012-
0010'' in the subject line of your comments.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mr. Michael Anspach, Solid Minerals,
ONRR, at (303) 231-3618, or email to [email protected]. You may
also review the ICR at https://www.reginfo.gov/public/do/PRAMain.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction
Act of 1995, we provide the general public and other Federal agencies
with an opportunity to comment on new, proposed, revised, and
continuing collections of information. This helps us assess the impact
of our information collection requirements and minimize the public's
reporting burden. It also helps the public understand our information
collection requirements and provide the requested data in the desired
format.
We published a notice, with a 60-day public comment period
soliciting comments on this collection of information, in the Federal
Register on May 7, 2019 (84 FR 19946). During the 60-day period, we
specifically reached out to seven companies impacted by this ICR to
request input. In response to the outreach, we received five responsive
comments.
The first comment we received stated:
I have read Federal Register (84 FR 19946, May 7, 2019). I have no
comments at this time.
The second comment we received stated:
[[Page 53746]]
I have read through the Federal Register notice that you have
provided and have no official comments to report.
The third comment we received stated:
The entry of data into the system is cumbersome and with today's
technology there should be a way to import our information into the
system. Working within the restraints of the system tends to add
additional time to any task. The constraints of a single PAR a day
submission is difficult to work with. Overall system reliability seems
to cause several down times that can make submission difficult.
The fourth comment we received stated:
I have read the Federal Register notice regarding OMB Control No.
1012-0010, Solid Minerals Collections. In section I. Abstract, OMB
Approval it states ``We protect the proprietary information that ONRR
receives and do not collect items of a sensitive nature''. I agree with
the first half of this sentence, however ONRR does collect items of a
sensitive nature which are listed in section A. Solid Minerals. Thank
you.
The fifth comment we received stated:
A company provided adjustments to the following parts and sections
of the Respondents' Estimated Annual Burden Hours Chart:
Part 1210--Forms and Reports; Subpart E--Solid Minerals, General
Sec. 1210.201: Hour burden--0.5 hour; Average number of annual
responses--12; Annual burden hours--6 hours.
Sec. 1210.202: Hour burden--0.5 hour; Average number of annual
responses--12; Annual burden hours--6 hours.
Sec. 1210.205: Hour burden--0.5 hour; Average number of annual
responses--12; Annual burden hours--6 hours.
Part 1218--Collection of Royalties, Rentals, and Bonuses, and Other
Monies Due the Federal Government; Subpart F--Geothermal Resources
Sec. 1218.300: Hour burden--2 hours; Average number of annual
responses--2; Annual burden hours--4 hours.
Sec. 1218.306(a): Hour burden--3 hours; Average number of annual
responses--3; Annual burden hours--9 hours.
Sec. 1218.306(b): Hour burden--2 hours; Average number of annual
responses--12; Annual burden hours--24 hours.
Once again, we are soliciting comments on this proposed ICR that is
described below. We are especially interested in public comment
addressing the following issues: (1) Is the collection necessary to
execute ONRR's proper functions; (2) will this information be processed
and used in a timely manner; (3) is the estimate of burden hours
accurate; (4) how might ONRR enhance the quality, usefulness, and
clarity of the information collected; and (5) how might ONRR minimize
the burden of this collection on the respondents, including the use of
information technology.
Comments that you submit in response to this notice are a matter of
public record. Before including your personally identifiable
information (PII), such as your address, phone number, email address,
or other PII in your comment(s), you should be aware that your entire
comment, including PII, may be made available to the public at any
time. While you can ask us, in your comment, to withhold your PII from
public view, we cannot guarantee that we will be able to do so.
Abstract: The Secretary of the United States Department of the
Interior is responsible for mineral resource development on Federal and
Indian lands and the Outer Continental Shelf (OCS). Also, the Secretary
is responsible for collecting royalty information from lessees who
produce minerals from Federal and Indian lands and the OCS. Under
various laws, the Secretary's responsibility is to (1) manage mineral
resources production from Federal and Indian lands and the OCS; (2)
collect the royalties and other mineral revenues due; and (3)
distribute the funds collected. We have posted the laws pertaining to
mineral leases on Federal and Indian lands and the OCS at https://www.onrr.gov/Laws_R_D/PubLaws/default.htm.
The Secretary also has a trust responsibility to manage Indian
lands and seek advice and information from Indian beneficiaries. ONRR
performs the minerals revenue management functions for the Secretary
and assists the Secretary in carrying out the Department's trust
responsibility for Indian lands.
You can find the information collections covered in this ICR at 30
CFR parts:
1202, subpart H, which pertains to geothermal resources
royalties.
1206, subparts F, H, and J, which pertain to product
valuation of Federal coal, geothermal resources, and Indian coal.
1210, subparts E and H, which pertain to production and
royalty reports on solid minerals and geothermal resources leases.
1212, subparts E and H, which pertain to recordkeeping of
reports and files for solid minerals and geothermal resources leases.
1217, subparts E, F, and G, which pertain to audits and
inspections of coal, other solid minerals, and geothermal resources
leases.
1218, subparts E and F, which pertain to royalties,
rentals, bonuses, and other monies payment for solid minerals and
geothermal resources.
All data reported is subject to subsequent audit and adjustment.
General Information
When a company or an individual enters into a lease to explore,
develop, produce, and sell, or otherwise dispose of, minerals from
Federal or Indian lands, that company or individual agrees to pay the
lessor a share in an amount or value of production from the leased
lands. The lessee, or its designee, must report various kinds of
information to the lessor related to the disposition of the leased
minerals. Such information is generally available within the records of
the lessee or others involved in developing, transporting, processing,
purchasing, or selling such minerals.
Information Collections
ONRR, acting for the Secretary, uses the information we collect to
ensure that lessees accurately value and appropriately pay all
royalties and other mineral revenues due based on the correct product
valuation. ONRR and other Federal government entities, including the
Bureau of Land Management, the Bureau of Indian Affairs, and State and
Tribal governmental entities, use the information for audit purposes
and for evaluating the reasonableness of product valuation or allowance
claims that lessees submit. Please refer to the burden hour chart for
all reporting requirements and associated burden hours.
A. Solid Minerals
Producers of coal and other solid minerals from any Federal or
Indian lease must submit the Solid Minerals Production and Royalty
Report (form ONRR-4430) and other associated data formats such as the
Solid Minerals Sales Summary (form ONRR-4440). These companies also
report certain data on the Report of Sales and Royalty Remittance (form
ONRR-2014) (OMB Control Number 1012-0004). Producers of coal from any
Indian lease must also submit the Coal Washing Allowance Report (form
ONRR-4292) and the Coal Transportation Allowance Report (form ONRR-
4293), if they wish to claim allowances on form ONRR-4430. The
information that ONRR requests is the minimum necessary to carry out
our mission and places the least possible burden on respondents.
[[Page 53747]]
B. Geothermal Resources
This ICR also covers some of the information collections for
geothermal resources, which ONRR groups by usage (electrical
generation, direct use, and byproduct recovery), and by disposition of
the resources (arm's-length (unaffiliated) contract sales, non-arm's-
length contract sales, and no contract sales) within each use group.
ONRR relies primarily on data that payors report on form ONRR-2014 for
the majority of our business processes, including geothermal
information. In addition to using the data to account for royalties
that payors report, ONRR uses the data for monthly distribution of
mineral revenues and for audit and compliance reviews.
Revisions to ICR
In March 2019, the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of
California vacated ONRR's 2017 repeal of its 2016 Consolidated Federal
Oil & Gas and Federal & Indian Coal Valuation Reform Rule (2016
Valuation Rule). By vacating ONRR's 2017 repeal, the Court reinstated
ONRR's 2016 Valuation Rule, originally published on July 1, 2016 (81 FR
43338), with its original effective date of January 1, 2017.
This is an ICR with revisions because it takes into account the
2016 Valuation Rule, which amended ONRR's Federal and Indian coal
valuation regulations. This ICR requires revisions to note changes to
its authority when the final rule amended 30 CFR part 1206, subparts F
and J. The two changes relevant to this ICR are that ONRR: (1)
Simplified and improved the valuation of coal disposed of in a non-
arm's-length transaction and no-sale situations; and (2) eliminated
benchmarks for valuation of non-arm's-length coal sales.
OMB Approval
We will request OMB approval to continue to collect this
information. Not collecting this information would limit the
Secretary's ability to discharge fiduciary duties and may also result
in the loss of royalty payments. We protect the proprietary information
that ONRR receives and do not collect items of a sensitive nature.
Reporters must submit forms ONRR-4430 and ONRR-4440. Also, ONRR
requires that reporters submit forms ONRR-4292 and ONRR-4293 to claim
allowances on form ONRR-4430.
Data
Title of Collection: Solid Minerals and Geothermal Collections--30
CFR parts 1202, 1206, 1210, 1212, 1217, and 1218.
OMB Control Number: 1012-0010.
Form Numbers: ONRR-4292, ONRR-4293, ONRR-4430, and ONRR-4440.
Type of Review: Revision of a currently approved collection.
Respondents/Affected Public: Businesses.
Total Estimated Number of Annual Respondents: 100 reporters.
Total Estimated Number of Annual Responses: 9,422.
Estimated Completion Time per Response: The average completion time
is 24.65 minutes per response. The average completion time is
calculated by first multiplying the estimated annual burden hours from
the table below (3,871) by 60 minutes to obtain the total annual burden
minutes (232,260). Then the total annual burden minutes (232,260) is
divided by the estimated annual responses (9,422) from the table below.
Total Estimated Number of Annual Burden Hours: 3,871 hours.
Respondent's Obligation: The records maintenance and the filing of
forms ONRR-4430 and ONRR-4440 are mandatory. The filing of forms ONRR-
4292 and ONRR-4293, and the submission of solid minerals and geothermal
resource information that do not have an ONRR form, are required to
obtain or retain a benefit.
Frequency of Collection: Monthly, annually, and on occasion.
Total Estimated Annual Nonhour Burden Cost: We have identified no
``nonhour cost'' burden associated with this collection of information.
We have not included in our estimates certain requirements
companies perform in the normal course of business that ONRR considers
usual and customary. We displayed the estimated annual burden hours by
CFR section and paragraph in the following chart.
Summary of Information Collections
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Number of
Information collections (and 30 Requirement to Frequency of annual Annual burden
CFR references*) respond response responses hours
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1. Reporting Formats:............. Mandatory............ Monthly.............. 3,579 1,531
Form ONRR-4430, Solid
Minerals Production and
Royalty Report,
Associated Data
(facility data) [1206.258(a),
1206.262, 1206.263(a),
1206.264, 1206.268(c)(1) &
(2), 1206.269(h)(1),
1206.270(a), 1206.271(a),
1206.451(a) & (b), 1206.455,
1206.458(a), 1210.201,
1210.203, 1210.204, 1218.201,
1218.203]
Form ONRR-4440, Solid Mandatory............ Monthly.............. 900 900
Minerals Sales Summary
[1201.202]
2. Allowance Forms:............... Required to obtain a Annually and on 5 8
benefit. occasion.
Form ONRR-4292, Coal
Washing Allowance Report
[1206.467(a)(2),
1206.469(h)(1),
1206.470(d)(1),
1206.471(c)(1)]
Form ONRR-4293, Coal ..................... ..................... 6 7
Transportation Allowance
Report [1206.460(a)(2),
1206.461(c)(1),
1206.462(h)(1),
1206.464(c)(1) & (e),
1206.464(c)(3)(i) & (ii)]
3. Geothermal Resources Mandatory............ On occasion.......... 48 62
[1206.353(g), 1206.354(b)(1)(ii),
1206.354(g), 1206.356(a)(3),
1206.356(c), 1206.359(g),
1206.364(a)(1); 1210.352;
1218.306(a)(2)].
4. Recordkeeping [1206.251(a), Mandatory............ As requested......... 4,884 1,363
(b), & (d), 1206.253(g)(1),
1206.453(g)(1); 1212.200(a)].
-------------------------------
[[Page 53748]]
Total......................... ..................... ..................... 9,422 3,871
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Note: Audit Process--The Office of Regulatory Affairs determined that the audit process is exempt from the
Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 because ONRR staff asks non-standard questions to resolve exceptions.
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 OMB control number.
Authority: Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (44 U.S.C. 3501 et
seq).
Gregory J. Gould,
Director for Office of Natural Resources Revenue.
[FR Doc. 2019-21863 Filed 10-7-19; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4335-30-P
