[Federal Register Volume 63, Number 121 (Wednesday, June 24, 1998)]
[Notices]
[Pages 34474-34475]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 98-16723]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Minerals Management Service


Agency Information Collection Activities: Submitted for Office of 
Management and Budget Review; Comment Request

    Title: Production Accounting and Auditing System Oil and Gas 
Reports, OMB Control Number: 1010-0040.
    Comments: This collection of information has been submitted to the 
Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for approval. In compliance with 
the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, Section 3506(c)(2)(A), we are 
notifying you, members of the public and affected agencies, of this 
collection of information, and are inviting your comments. Is this 
information collection necessary for us to properly do our job? Have we 
accurately estimated the public's burden for responding to this 
collection? Can we enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of the 
information we collect? Can we lessen the burden of this information 
collection on the respondents by using automated collection techniques 
or other forms of information technology?
    Comments should be made directly to the Attention: Desk Officer for 
the Interior Department, Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs 
(OMB Control Number: 1010-0040), Office of Management and Budget, 
Washington, DC 20503; telephone (202) 395-7340. Copies of these 
comments should also be sent to us. The U.S. Postal Service address is 
Minerals Management Service, Royalty Management Program, Rules and 
Publications Staff, P.O. Box 25165, MS 3021, Denver, Colorado 80225-
0165; the courier address is Building 85, Room A-613, Denver Federal 
Center, Denver, Colorado 80225; and the e-Mail address is 
RMP.[email protected]. OMB has up to 60 days to approve or disapprove 
the information collection but may respond after 30 days; therefore, 
public comments should be submitted to OMB within 30 days in order to 
assure their maximum consideration.
    Copies of the proposed information collection and related 
explanatory material may be obtained by contacting Dennis C. Jones, 
Rules and Publications Staff, telephone (303) 231-3046, FAX (303) 231-
3385, e-Mail Dennis.C.J[email protected].
    Dates: Written comments should be received on or before July 24, 
1998.
    Summary: The Secretary of the Interior is responsible for the 
collection of royalties from lessees who produce minerals from leased 
Federal and Indian

[[Page 34475]]

lands. The Secretary is authorized to manage lands, to collect 
royalties due, and to distribute royalty funds. The Minerals Management 
Service (MMS) is responsible for the royalty management functions 
assigned to the Secretary and has developed the Production Accounting 
and Auditing System (PAAS) as a part of an overall effort to improve 
management of the Nation's resources.
    PAAS is an integrated computer system based on production and 
processing reports submitted by lease operators and is designed to 
track minerals produced from Federal and Indian lands from the point of 
production to the point of disposition, or royalty determination, and/
or point of sale. It is used in conjunction with MMS Auditing and 
Financial System (AFS), which provides payment and sales volumes and 
values as reported by payors. These data are compared to production and 
processing volumes reported on PAAS. The comparison enables MMS to 
verify that proper royalties are being received for the minerals 
produced.
    MMS uses six forms for gathering oil and gas production data from 
industry. The production and disposition reports provide MMS with 
ongoing information on lease and facility production, sales volumes, 
and inventories. The reports summarize all operations on a lease or 
facility during a reporting period. They identify production by well 
number and sales by product. Data collected by PAAS are used as a 
method of cross-checking reported production with sales reported to the 
AFS. Failure to collect all of this information will prevent MMS from 
ensuring that all royalties owed on lease production are paid. 
Additionally, the data are shared electronically with the Bureau of 
Land Management and MMS's Offshore Minerals Management so they can 
perform their lease management responsibilities.
    Description of Respondents: Companies or individuals (operators) 
that operate leases to develop, produce, and dispose of minerals from 
Federal or Indian lands.
    Forms Numbers: Form MMS-4051, Facility and Measurement Information 
Form; Form MMS-4054, Oil and Gas Operations Report; Form MMS-4055, Gas 
Analysis report, Form MMS-4056, Gas Plant Operations Report, Form MMS-
3160, Monthly Report of Operations, and Form MMS-4058, Production 
Allocation Schedule Report.
    Frequency of Response: Monthly.
    Estimated Reporting Burden: 15 to 30 minutes per manually completed 
report, 7 to 15 minutes per electronically completed report.
    Recordkeeping Burden: 12 hours annually for recordkeeping.
    Annual Responses: 356,668.
    Annual Burden Hours: 81,938 hours.
    Bureau Clearance Officer: Jo Ann Lauterbach, (202) 208-7744.

    Dated: May 29, 1998.
R. Dale Fazio,
Acting Associate Director for Royalty Management.
[FR Doc. 98-16723 Filed 6-23-98; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4310-MR-P