[Federal Register Volume 62, Number 205 (Thursday, October 23, 1997)] [Proposed Rules] [Pages 55197-55198] From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov] [FR Doc No: 97-28088] ======================================================================= ----------------------------------------------------------------------- DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR Minerals Management Service 30 CFR Chapter II Workshop on the Federal Oil and Gas Royalty Simplification and Fairness Act of 1996 (RSFA) AGENCY: Minerals Management Service, Interior. ACTION: Notice of workshop. ----------------------------------------------------------------------- SUMMARY: The Minerals Management Service (MMS), Royalty Management Program, is implementing the requirements of the Federal Oil and Gas Royalty Simplification and Fairness Act of 1996. The purpose of this notice is to inform the public of a public workshop session. DATES: The workshop will begin on Wednesday, November 5, 1997, from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m., Mountain time; and continues on Thursday, November 6, 1997, from 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m., Mountain time. ADDRESSES: The workshop will be held in the Building 85 Auditorium at the Denver Federal Center, Denver, Colorado. Mail comments to: David S. Guzy, Chief, Rules and Publications Staff, Royalty Management Program, Minerals Management Service, P.O. Box 25165, MS 3021, Denver, Colorado 80225-0165; courier delivery to Building 85, Denver Federal Center, Denver, Colorado 80225; or e-mail David__G[email protected]. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: David S. Guzy, Chief, Rules and Publications Staff, telephone (303) 231-3432; Fax (303) 231-3385; e- mail: David__G[email protected].; or contact Mike Miller, at (303) 231-3413; e-mail: Mike__M[email protected]. MMS will send a detailed agenda for the meeting via facsimile on or before October 30, 1997, to the State and industry working group members listed below. This group originally met with us in October 1996, and members of this working group agreed to make sure those stakeholders whom they represent are appropriately represented at scheduled meetings. American Petroleum Institute Richard McPike, Fina Oil, P.O. Box 2159, Dallas, TX 75221, (214) 750- 2820, Fax: (214) 750-2987 Backup: David Deal, 1220 L Street, N.W., Washington, DC 20005, (202) 682-8261, Fax: (202) 682-8033 Council of Petroleum Accountants Societies John Clark, Conoco, P.O. Box 1267, Ponca City, OK 74602-1267, (405) 767-5044, Fax: (405) 767-3686 Domestic Petroleum Council Becky McGee, Oryx Energy Company, 13155 Noel Road, Dallas, TX 75240, (972) 715-3198, Fax: (972) 715-8810 Independent Petroleum Association of America Ben Dillon, 1101 16th Street, N.W., Washington, DC 20036, (202) 857- 4722, Fax: (202) 857-4799 Independent Petroleum Association of Mountain States Carla Wilson, 518 17th Street, Denver, CO 80202-4167, (303) 623-0987, Fax: (303) 893-0709 Mid-Continent Oil & Gas Association Patty Patten, OXY USA, Inc., 110 W. 7th Street, Tulsa, OK 74137, (918) 561-3703, Fax: (918) 561-4364 Backup: Patricia Dunmire Bragg, Gardere & Wynne, L.L.P., 100 West Fifth Street, 200 Oneck Plaza, Tulsa, OK 74103-4240, (918) 699-2920, Fax: (918) 699-2929 Natural Gas Supply Association George Butler, Chevron, P.O. Box 3725, Houston, TX 77213-3725, (713) 754-7809, Fax: (713) 754-3366 Rocky Mountain Oil & Gas Association Mary Stonecipher, Amoco Corporation, P.O. Box 591, Tulsa, OK 74102, (918) 581-4354, Fax: (918) 581-4526 Backup: Cliff Dodge, 1775 Sherman Street, Suite 2501, Denver, CO 80203, (303) 860-0099, Fax: (303) 860-0310 [[Page 55198]] Backup: Wayne Pachall, Texaco, Inc., P.O. Box 4325, Houston, TX 77210, (713) 752-7412, Fax: (713) 752-4660 Royalty Policy Committee David Blackmon, Burlington Resources, 801 Cherry, Suite 700, Fort Worth, TX 76102, (817) 347-2354, Fax: (817) 347-2877 State and Tribal Royalty Audit Committee George Staigle, North Dakota State Auditor's Office, Royalty Audit Section, P.O. Box 3009, Bismark, ND 58502-3009, (701) 250-4682, Fax: (701) 250-4686 Western Governors' Association Paul Kruse, State of Wyoming, Herschler Building, 3 West, 121 West 25th Street, Cheyenne, WY 82002-0600, (307) 777-7331, Fax: (307) 777-5400 Western States Land Commissioners Association Roger Melson, Oklahoma Commissioners of the Land Office, P.O. Box 26910, Oklahoma City, OK 26910, Phone: (405) 271-1000, Fax: (405) 271- 2500. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: President Clinton signed the Federal Oil and Gas Royalty Simplification and Fairness Act (RSFA) on August 13, 1996, to improve the management of royalties from Federal oil and gas leases. This is the first major legislation affecting royalty management since the Federal Oil and Gas Royalty Management Act of 1982 (FOGRMA) was passed in January 1983. In our Federal Register Notice dated October 30, 1996 (61 FR 55941), MMS listed key issues involved in implementing RSFA. This workshop will focus on some of those key issues. Potential discussion topics include: Interest on OverpaymentsAccepting Interest Payments and Reporting from ``Designees'' on Underpayments. Reporting and Paying Interest on Overpayments. Assessing for Chronic Erroneous Reporting Takes/Entitlements Marginal Properties exception to RSFA entitlements reporting requirements. Reporting requirements on takes/entitlement basis. Marginal Properties Providing Accounting, Reporting, and Auditing Relief for Marginal Properties. Allowing for Prepayments of Future Revenue Streams. For each of these issues, MMS plans to describe work to date including any decision reached. MMS will also discuss the status of regulations, systems changes, and process implementation for each of these key issues. We will also focus on aspects of these key issues where we believe State and industry feedback is needed before we go further in implementation. In order to accomplish a broad based fact finding on how the requirements of RSFA affect our customers and stakeholders, comments from the public are encouraged on any issue related to implementing RSFA. In addition to attendance at this workshop, comments can be made in writing and sent directly to MMS using instructions in the ADDRESSES part of this notice. Dated: October 16, 1997. Lucy Querques Denett, Associate Director for Royalty Management. [FR Doc. 97-28088 Filed 10-22-97; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 4310-MR-P