Agency Information Collection Activities; Collection of Monies Due to the Federal Government; and Processing Refund Requests Related to Overpayments Made to ONRR, 13398-13399 [2021-04684]

Agencies

• DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
• Office of Natural Resources Revenue

[Federal Register Volume 86, Number 43 (Monday, March 8, 2021)]
[Notices]
[Pages 13398-13399]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2021-04684]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Office of Natural Resources Revenue

[Docket No. ONRR-2011-0009; DS63644000 DRT000000.CH7000 212D1113RT; OMB 
Control Number 1012-0008]


Agency Information Collection Activities; Collection of Monies 
Due to the Federal Government; and Processing Refund Requests Related 
to Overpayments Made to ONRR

AGENCY: Office of Natural Resources Revenue, Interior.

ACTION: Notice of information collection; request for comment.

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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. Through this Information 
Collection Request (ICR), ONRR seeks authority to collect information 
related to the paperwork requirements covering cross-lease netting in 
the calculation of late-payment interest; a lessee's designation of 
designee for payment obligations; tribal permission for recoupment on 
Indian oil and gas leases; and refund requests for overpayments made to 
ONRR.

DATES: Interested persons are invited to submit comments on or before 
April 7, 2021.

ADDRESSES: Written comments and recommendations for the proposed 
information collection should be sent within 30 days of publication of 
this notice to www.reginfo.gov/public/do/PRAMain. You may find this 
particular information collection by selecting ``Currently under 30-day 
Review--Open for Public Comments'' or by using the search function. 
Please provide a copy of your comments to Mr. Luis Aguilar, Regulatory 
Specialist, by email to [email protected]. Please reference OMB 
Control Number 1012-0008 in the subject line of your comments.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: To request additional information 
about this ICR, contact Mr. Christopher Davis, Financial Management, 
ONRR by email at [email protected] or by telephone at (303) 
231-3977. To inquire about form ONRR-4425, please contact Ms. April 
Lockler, Reference & Reporting Management, ONRR by email at 
[email protected] or by telephone at (303) 231-3105. To inquire 
about refund requests, please contact Jennifer Dougherty, Revenue, 
Reporting, and Compliance Management, ONRR by email at 
[email protected] or by telephone at (303) 231-3563.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction 
Act of 1995 (PRA, 44 U.S.C. 3501 et seq.) and 5 CFR 1320.8(d)(1), all 
information collections require approval under the PRA. ONRR may not 
conduct or sponsor and you are not required to respond to a collection 
of information unless it displays a currently valid OMB control number.
    As part of its continuing effort to reduce paperwork and respondent 
burdens, ONRR is inviting the public and other Federal agencies to 
comment on new, proposed, revised, and continuing collections of 
information. This helps ONRR to assess the impact of its information 
collection requirements and minimize the public's reporting burden. It 
also helps the public understand ONRR's information collection 
requirements and provide the requested data in the desired format.
    ONRR is especially interested in public comments addressing the 
following:
    (1) Whether or not the collection of information is necessary for 
the proper performance of the functions of the agency, including 
whether or not the information will have practical utility;
    (2) The accuracy of ONRR's estimate of the burden for this 
collection of information, including the validity of the methodology 
and assumptions used;
    (3) Ways to enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of the 
information to be collected; and
    (4) How might the agency minimize the burden of the collection of 
information on those who are to respond, including through the use of 
appropriate automated, electronic, mechanical, or other technological 
collection techniques or other forms of information technology (for 
example, permitting electronic submission of response).
    ONRR published a notice, with a 60-day public comment period 
soliciting comments on this collection of information, in the Federal 
Register on October 15, 2020 (85 FR 65395). ONRR received the following 
six comments from companies regarding the published 60-day Federal 
Register notice:
    Public Commenter 1--``We have read the content of the 60-day notice 
and agree to its content with no further comments.''
    Public Commenter 2--``I have read the ICR 1012-0008 and agree to 
the time needed, as cited below, to provide the appropriate information 
to ONRR in order to process applicable refunds.''
    Public Commenter 3--``I/We have read the content of the 60-day 
notice and agree to its content with no further comments.''
    Public Commenter 4--``We have read over these documents and agree 
with their contents with no further comments.''
    Public Commenter 5--``Cross-lease netting and recoupment between 
tribal leases are infrequent, but I believe ONRR's burden hour 
estimates are appropriate.''
    Public Commenter 6--``We have read the content of the 60-day notice 
and agree to its content with no further comments.''
    Comments that you submit in response to this 30-day notice are a 
matter of public record. ONRR will include or summarize each comment in 
its request to OMB to approve this ICR. Before including your address, 
phone number, email address, or other personal identifying information 
in your comment, you should be aware that your entire comment--
including your personal identifying information--may be made publicly 
available at any time. While you can ask ONRR in your comment to 
withhold your personal identifying information from public review, ONRR 
cannot guarantee that it will be able to do so.
    Abstract: The Secretary of the United States Department of the 
Interior is responsible for mineral resource

[[Page 13399]]

development on Federal and Indian lands and the Outer Continental Shelf 
(OCS). Under various laws, the Secretary's responsibilities include 
maintaining a comprehensive inspection, collection, and fiscal and 
production accounting and auditing system that provides the capability 
to: (1) Accurately determine mineral royalties, interest, and other 
payments owed, (2) collect and account for such amounts in a timely 
manner, and (3) disburse the funds collected. ONRR performs these 
mineral revenue management functions for the Secretary.
    Laws pertaining to mineral leases on Federal and Indian lands are 
posted at https://www.onrr.gov/Laws_R_D/PubLaws/default.htm.
    (a) General Information: ONRR collects, audits, and disburses 
royalties, interest, and other payments owed by lessees on minerals 
produced from Federal and Indian lands. If a lessee overpays the amount 
due on minerals produced from Federal lands, it may request a refund 
from ONRR. If a lessee overpays the amount due on minerals produced 
from tribal lands, it may, with the tribe's permission, recoup the 
overpayment against other royalties or other revenues owed in that 
month under other leases for which that tribe is the lessor. If a 
lessee fails to pay or underpays an amount it owes on Federal or Indian 
mineral production, it generally must pay interest on the underpayment 
from the date the payment was due. For royalties and other amounts owed 
on oil and gas produced from Federal lands, the Federal Oil and Gas 
Royalty Management Act (FOGRMA, 30 U.S.C. 1701 et seq.) permits a 
lessee to designate a designee for its payment obligations.
    (b) Information Collections: This ICR covers certain information 
required pursuant to FOGRMA and 30 CFR 1218 for (1) cross-lease netting 
in the calculation of late-payment interest; (2) a lessee's designation 
of designee for payment obligations; (3) tribal permission for 
recoupment on Indian oil and gas leases; and (4) refund requests for 
overpayments made to ONRR.
    (1) Cross-Lease Netting in the Calculation of Late-Payment 
Interest: Pursuant to 30 CFR 1218.42(b), if certain conditions are met, 
``[r]oyalties attributed to production from a lease or leases which 
should have been attributed to production from a different lease or 
leases may be offset to determine whether and to what extent an 
underpayment exists on which interest is due . . . .'' ONRR calls this 
process cross-lease netting. To determine whether a lessee is entitled 
to cross-lease netting, ONRR must collect lease, production, payor, 
recipient, and other information specified in 30 CFR 1218.42(b). This 
information is necessary for ONRR to calculate the correct interest 
amount.
    (2) Designation of Designee for Payment Obligations: FOGRMA allows 
a lessee to notify the Secretary in writing of its designation of ``a 
person to make all or part of the payments due under a lease on the 
lessee's behalf . . . in which event said designated person may, in its 
own name, pay, offset or credit monies, make adjustments, request and 
receive refunds and submit reports with respect to payments required by 
the lessee.'' See 30 U.S.C. 1712(a). ONRR created form ONRR-4425, 
Designation Form for Royalty Payment Responsibility, for lessees to 
notify it of such designation. ONRR requires the information required 
in this form to ensure proper mineral revenue collection.
    (3) Tribal Permission for Recoupment on Indian Oil and Gas Leases: 
Pursuant to 30 CFR 1218.53(b), a payor may, with written permission 
authorized by tribal statute or resolution, recoup an overpayment 
against royalties or other revenues owed under other leases for which 
that tribe is the lessor. See 30 CFR 1218.53(b). The payor must provide 
ONRR with a copy of the tribe's written permission. Id.
    (4) Processing Refund Requests: FORGMA authorizes a Federal oil and 
gas lessee to request a refund for an overpayment in certain 
situations. See 30 U.S.C. 1721a(b). The lessee must supply information 
to support its refund request. Id. ONRR collects banking information 
from the refund recipient in order to disburse the overpaid amount to 
the correct account.
    Title: Collection of Monies Due to the Federal Government; and 
Processing Refund Requests Related to Overpayments Made to ONRR.
    OMB Control Number: 1012-0008.
    Bureau Form Number: Form ONRR-4425.
    Type of Review: Revision of a currently approved collection.
    Respondents/Affected Public: Federal and Indian lessees.
    Total Estimated Number of Annual Respondents: 170.
    Total Estimated Number of Annual Responses: 170.
    Total Estimated Number of Annual Burden Hours: 93 hours.
    Respondent's Obligation: Mandatory.
    Frequency of Collection: On occasion.
    Total Estimated Annual Non-hour Burden Cost: ONRR did not identify 
any ``non-hour cost'' burden associated with this collection of 
information.
    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.
    The authority for this action is the PRA.

Kimbra G. Davis,
Director for Office of Natural Resources Revenue.
[FR Doc. 2021-04684 Filed 3-5-21; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4335-30-P