Office of Natural Resources Revenue – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

Pursuant to the Federal Civil Penalties Inflation Adjustment Act of 1990, as amended by the Federal Civil Penalties Inflation Adjustment Act Improvements Act of 2015 (referred to herein as the "Inflation Adjustment Acts"), and Office of Management and Budget ("OMB") guidance, ONRR is adjusting for inflation the civil monetary penalty ("CMP") amounts it assesses under the Federal Oil and Gas Royalty Management Act of 1982 ("FOGRMA").

In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 ("PRA"), ONRR is proposing to renew an information collection. Through this Information Collection Request ("ICR"), ONRR seeks renewed authority to collect information for the collection, verification, and disbursement of oil and gas royalties owed to Indian lessors. ONRR uses forms ONRR-4109, ONRR-4110, ONRR-4295, ONRR-4393, ONRR-4410, and ONRR-4411 as part of these information collection requirements.

In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 ("PRA"), ONRR is proposing to renew an information collection. Through this Information Collection Request ("ICR"), ONRR seeks renewed authority to collect information related to the paperwork requirements under the Chief Financial Officers Act of 1990 ("CFO Act") covering the collection of royalties and other mineral revenues due, which obligations are accounted for as accounts receivables.

In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 ("PRA"), ONRR is proposing to renew an information collection. Through this Information Collection Request ("ICR"), ONRR seeks renewed authority to collect information related to the paperwork requirements under the Chief Financial Officers Act of 1990 ("CFO Act") covering the collection of royalties and other mineral revenues due, which obligations are accounted for as accounts receivables.

In accordance with regulations governing valuation of gas produced from Indian lands, ONRR is publishing this Notice in the Federal Register of the major portion prices applicable to calendar year 2022 and the date by which a lessee must pay any additional royalties due under major portion pricing.

In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, ONRR is proposing to revise an information collection. Through this Information Collection Request (ICR), ONRR seeks renewed authority to collect information necessary to cover 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.

In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (``PRA''), the Office of Natural Resources Revenue (``ONRR'') is proposing to revise a currently approved information collection to expand its scope to include the mineral estate underlying Osage County, Oklahoma (``Osage Mineral Estate'').

On August 9, 2023, ONRR published a final rule amending its regulations to allow ONRR and other authorized Department of the Interior (``Department'') representatives the option to require that an auditee use electronic means to provide records requested during an audit of an auditee's royalty reporting and payment. The final rule used a subpart that was designated reserved. This document corrects the final regulations by adding the subpart.

ONRR is republishing and revising certain subparts of its regulations to implement an order and judgment from the United States District Court for the District of Wyoming that vacated the Federal and Indian coal valuation provisions of the 2016 Consolidated Federal Oil & Gas and Federal & Indian Coal Valuation Reform rule. ONRR is further making non-substantive punctuation and grammatical corrections as part of this republication.

In accordance with regulations governing valuation of gas produced from Indian lands, ONRR is publishing this Notice in the Federal Register of the major portion prices applicable to calendar year 2021 and the date by which a lessee must pay any additional royalties due under major portion pricing.

In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (``PRA''), ONRR is proposing to renew an information collection. Through this Information Collection Request (``ICR''), ONRR seeks renewed authority to collect information necessary to determine net profit share payments due the United States pursuant to Outer Continental Shelf (``OCS'') oil and gas leases.

Pursuant to the Federal Civil Penalties Inflation Adjustment Act of 1990 (codified at 28 U.S.C. 2461 note), as amended by the Federal Civil Penalties Inflation Adjustment Act Improvements Act of 2015 (referred to herein as the ``Inflation Adjustment Acts''), and Office of Management and Budget (``OMB'') guidance, ONRR is adjusting for inflation the civil monetary penalty (``CMP'') amounts it assesses under the Federal Oil and Gas Royalty Management Act of 1982 (``FOGRMA'').

In accordance with Office of Natural Resources Revenue (ONRR) regulations, ONRR provides two types of accounting and auditing relief for Federal oil and gas production from marginal properties: (1) the cumulative royalty reports and payments relief option, which allows a lessee or designee to submit one royalty report and payment for the calendar year's production; and (2) other requested relief, which allows a lessee or designee to request any type of accounting and auditing relief that is appropriate for production from the marginal property and meets certain requirements. By October 1 of each calendar year, ONRR provides a list of qualifying marginal Federal oil and gas properties to the States receiving a portion of Federal royalties from those properties. Each State then decides whether to participate in neither, one, or both relief options. This Notice provides the public each State's decision on whether to participate in marginal property relief.

In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (``PRA''), ONRR is proposing to renew an information collection. Through this Information Collection Request (``ICR''), ONRR seeks renewed authority to collect information necessary to report production, sales, and royalties owed related to coal, other solid minerals, and geothermal resources produced from Federal and Indian lands. ONRR currently uses forms ONRR-4292 (Coal Washing Allowance Report); ONRR-4293 (Coal Transportation Allowance Report); ONRR-4430 (Solid Minerals Production and Royalty Report); and ONRR-4440 (Solid Minerals Sales Summary) as part of these information collection requirements.

ONRR is adjusting for inflation the civil monetary penalty (``CMP'') amounts it assesses under the Federal Oil and Gas Royalty Management Act of 1982 (``FOGRMA'').

In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (``PRA''), ONRR is proposing to renew an information collection. Through this Information Collection Request (``ICR''), ONRR seeks renewed authority to collect information for the collection, verification, and disbursement of oil and gas royalties owed to Indian lessors. ONRR uses forms ONRR-4109, ONRR-4110, ONRR- 4295, ONRR-4393, ONRR-4410, and ONRR-4411 as part of these information collection requirements.

In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (``PRA''), ONRR is proposing to renew an information collection. Through this Information Collection Request (``ICR''), ONRR seeks renewed authority to collect information from royalty payors to verify a small number of ONRR accounts receivable randomly selected by the Office of Inspector General (``OIG'') for audit.

In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (``PRA''), ONRR is proposing to renew an information collection. Through this Information Collection Request (``ICR''), ONRR seeks renewed authority to collect information used to verify, audit, collect, and disburse royalty owed on oil, gas, and geothermal resources produced from Federal and Indian lands. ONRR uses forms ONRR- 2014, ONRR-4054, and ONRR-4058 as part of these information collection requirements.

In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (``PRA''), ONRR is proposing to renew an information collection. Currently, the information collection is authorized by the Office of Management and Budget (``OMB'') under OMB Control Number 1012-0001, which expires on February 28, 2022. Through this Information Collection Request (``ICR''), ONRR seeks renewed authority to collect information related to the paperwork requirements under the Chief Financial Officers Act of 1990 (``CFO Act'') covering the collection of royalties and other mineral revenues due, which obligations are accounted for as accounts receivables.

ONRR is delaying the effective date of the final rule entitled ``ONRR 2020 Valuation Reform and Civil Penalty Rule'' (``2020 Rule'') from April 16, 2021 to November 1, 2021. The purpose of this second delay is to avoid placing undue regulatory burdens on lessees caused by allowing the 2020 Rule to go into effect while ONRR considers whether it will revise or withdraw some or all of that rule due to apparent defects in that rule.

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.

The Office of Natural Resources Revenue (ONRR) publishes this final rule to increase its maximum civil monetary penalty (CMP) rates to account for inflation occurring between October 2019 and October 2020.

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.

The Office of Natural Resources Revenue (``ONRR'') is publishing this proposed rule to seek comment on measures to amend portions of ONRR's regulations for valuing oil and gas produced from Federal leases for royalty purposes, valuing coal produced from Federal and Indian leases, and assessing civil penalties for violations of certain statutes, regulations, leases, and orders associated with mineral leases.

On August 4, 2020, the Office of Natural Resources Revenue (ONRR) published in the Federal Register a document that announced calendar year 2018's major portion prices for Indian leases and the due date for industry to pay additional royalties based on major portion prices. The document incorrectly stated in the DATES section that the due date to pay additional royalties is October 5, 2020 when it should have stated that the due date is October 31, 2020.