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

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.

The Office of Natural Resources Revenue published a document in the Federal Register of May 8, 2019. This document published the major portion prices for Indian leases and the due date for industry to pay additional royalties based on the major portion prices determined by ONRR. The document contained an incorrect date.

In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, the Office of Natural Resources Revenue (ONRR) is proposing to renew an information collection. ONRR seeks renewed authority to collect information necessary to report the production and royalties on solid minerals and geothermal resources from Federal and Indian lands. In addition to requesting renewed authority for ONRR to collect solid minerals and geothermal information without the use of a form, ONRR seeks renewed authority for four specific ONRR forms. The four forms are the Coal Washing Allowance Report, form ONRR-4292 (ONRR-4292); the Coal Transportation Allowance Report, form ONRR-4293 (ONRR-4293); the Solid Minerals Production and Royalty Report, form ONRR-4430 (ONRR- 4430); and the Solid Minerals Sales Summary, form ONRR-4440 (ONRR- 4440).

The Office of Natural Resources Revenue (ONRR) publishes this final rule to increase our maximum civil monetary penalty (CMP) rates for inflation occurring between October 2017 and October 2018.

In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (PRA), the Office of Natural Resources Revenue (ONRR), is proposing to renew an information collection with revisions. ONRR seeks renewed authority to collect information from lessees using five forms necessary to determine the correct royalties to be collected on behalf of Indian Tribes and individual Indian mineral owners. Revisions from the prior approval to collect this information are necessary because the information collection requirements on form ONRR-4410 were reduced by a rule in 2015.

The Office of Natural Resources Revenue (ONRR) renewed current delegations of audit and investigation authority for the States of Montana, New Mexico, and Oklahoma. This notice gives members of the public an opportunity to review and comment on the States' delegations.

The Office of Natural Resources Revenue (ONRR) is inviting comments on proposed modifications to the list of existing market centers that royalty payors use to value oil produced from Federal leases. This proposed modification is applicable to those valuing Federal oil production using NYMEX prices or ANS spot prices.

The Office of Natural Resources Revenue (ONRR) is withdrawing the temporary physical address change published in the Federal Register on April 27, 2016 for courier services and personal deliveries.

In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (PRA), we, the Office of Natural Resources Revenue (ONRR), are proposing to renew an information collection with revisions.

To comply with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (PRA), ONRR is inviting comments on the renewal of an information collection request that we will submit to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for review and approval.

The Office of Natural Resources Revenue (ONRR) is publishing this rule to repeal a 2013 direct final rule and restore the former regulatory language governing service of official correspondence.

The Office of Natural Resources Revenue (ONRR) publishes this final rule to increase our maximum civil monetary penalty (CMP) rates for inflation occurring between October 2016 and October 2017.

To comply with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (PRA), we, the Office of Natural Resources Revenue (ONRR), are proposing to renew an information collection.

To comply with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (PRA), ONRR is inviting comments on a collection of information requests that we will submit to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for review and approval. This Information Collection Request (ICR) covers the paperwork requirements in title 30, Code of Federal Regulations (CFR), part 1218. This ICR pertains to cross-lease netting in calculation of late-payment interest; a lessee's designation of designee; and Tribal permission for recoupment on Indian oil and gas leases.

Final regulations for valuing gas produced from Indian leases, published August 10, 1999, require the Office of Natural Resources Revenue (ONRR) to determine major portion prices and notify industry by publishing the prices in the Federal Register. The regulations also require ONRR to publish a due date for industry to pay additional royalties based on the major portion prices. Consistent with these requirements, this notice provides major portion prices for the 12 months of calendar year 2015.

In accordance with the Federal Civil Penalties Inflation Adjustment Act of 1990 (Act), as amended by the Federal Civil Penalties Inflation Adjustment Act Improvements Act of 2015 (2015 Act) and recent Office of Management and Budget (OMB) guidance, the Office of Natural Resources Revenue (ONRR) is publishing this final rule to adjust our maximum civil monetary penalty (CMP) rates for calendar year 2017. This final rule also adopts as final a 2016 interim final rule that adjusted the amount of our civil monetary penalties for inflation with initial ``catch-up'' adjustments under the 2015 Act.

The Office of Natural Resources Revenue (ONRR) requests comments and suggestions from affected parties and the interested public on whether revisions to the regulations governing the valuation, for royalty purposes, of oil and gas produced from Federal onshore and offshore leases and coal produced from Federal and Indian leases, are needed and, if so, what specific revisions should be considered. On July 1, 2016, ONRR published a final rule, Consolidated Federal Oil and Gas and Federal and Indian Coal Valuation Reform (2017 Valuation Rule). ONRR subsequently stayed the effective date of that rule pending resolution of litigation. As a result of the stay, the regulations in effect prior to January 1, 2017 (``pre-existing regulations'') remain in effect. In a separate notice, ONRR is seeking comments on a proposed rule to repeal the 2017 Valuation Rule to maintain the status quo in which the pre-existing regulations remain in effect while ONRR reconsiders whether changes made by the 2017 Valuation Rule are needed or appropriate.

To comply with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (PRA), ONRR is notifying the public that we have submitted to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) an Information Collection Request (ICR) to renew approval of the paperwork requirements in the regulations under title 30, Code of Federal Regulations (CFR), parts 1202, 1204, and 1206. This ICR pertains to (1) Federal oil and gas valuation regulations, which include transportation and processing regulatory allowance limits; and (2) accounting and auditing relief for marginal properties. Also, there is one form (ONRR-4393 [Request to Exceed Regulatory Allowance Limitation]) associated with this information collection.

This rule amends the Office of Natural Resources Revenue (ONRR) civil penalty regulations by expanding the regulations to all Federal mineral leases onshore and on the Outer Continental Shelf (OCS), to all Federally-administered mineral leases on Indian Tribal and individual Indian mineral owners' lands, and to all easements, rights of way, and other agreements on the OCS; incorporating the civil penalty inflation adjustments pursuant to the Federal Civil Penalties Inflation Adjustment Act Improvements Act of 2015 (the 2015 Act); clarifying and simplifying existing regulations for issuing a Notice of Noncompliance (NONC), Failure to Correct Civil Penalty Notice (FCCP), and Immediate Liability Civil Penalty Notice (ILCP); and providing notice that ONRR will post matrices for civil penalty assessments on its Web site.

On June 8, 2016, ONRR published (at 81 FR 36954) a notice of the due date for industry to pay additional royalties based on the major portion prices, titled ``Major Portion Prices and Due Date for Additional Royalty Payments on Indian Gas Production in Designated Areas Not Associated with an Index Zone.'' ONRR is amending the due date to pay additional royalties based on the major portion prices from August 8, 2016 to August 31, 2016.

The Office of Natural Resources Revenue (ONRR) publishes this interim final rule to adjust the amount of our civil monetary penalties (CMPs) for inflation with an initial ``catch-up'' adjustment under the Federal Civil Penalties Inflation Adjustment Act Improvements Act of 2015 and Office of Management and Budget (OMB) guidance.

On April 28, 2016, ONRR published (at 81 FR 25419) a notice of the due date for industry to pay additional royalties based on the major portion prices, titled ``Major Portion Prices and Due Date for Additional Royalty Payments on Indian Gas Production in Designated Areas Not Associated with an Index Zone.'' Unfortunately, due to an incorrect date in said notice, it is necessary to withdraw the notice and re-publish a corrected version. This notice withdraws the April 28, 2016, notice in question.

ONRR is temporarily changing its physical address for courier services and personal deliveries.

The States of Alaska, California, Colorado, North Dakota, Texas, Utah, and Wyoming are requesting that ONRR renew current delegations of audit and investigation authority. This notice gives members of the public an opportunity to review and comment on the States' proposals.

The States of Alaska, California, Colorado, North Dakota, Texas, Utah, and Wyoming are requesting that ONRR renew current delegations of audit and investigation authority. This notice gives members of the public an opportunity to review and comment on the States' proposals.