[Federal Register Volume 64, Number 229 (Tuesday, November 30, 1999)]
[Notices]
[Pages 66930-66931]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 99-30992]


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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

AGENCY: Minerals Management Service (MMS), Interior.

ACTION: Notice of information collection.

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SUMMARY: Under the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, we are soliciting 
comments on an information collection titled Royalty-In-Kind Small 
Refiner Sale Program, OMB Control Number 1010-0135, which expires on 
April 30, 2000.

DATES: Written comments should be received on or before January 31, 
2000.

ADDRESSES: The mailing address for written comments regarding this 
information collection is David S. Guzy, Chief, Rules and Publications 
Staff, Minerals Management Service, Royalty Management Program, P.O. 
Box 25165, MS 3021, Denver, Colorado 80225. Courier address is Building 
85, Room A-613, Denver Federal Center, Denver, Colorado 80225. Email 
address is RMP.[email protected].

PUBLIC COMMENT PROCEDURE: If you wish to comment, you may submit your 
comments by any one of several methods. You may mail comments to David 
S. Guzy, Chief, Rules and Publications Staff, Minerals Management 
Service, Royalty Management Program, P.O. Box 25165, MS 3021, Denver, 
Colorado 80225-0165. Courier or overnight delivery address is Building 
85, Room A-613, Denver Federal Center, Denver, Colorado 80225. You may 
also comment via the Internet to RMP.[email protected]. Please submit 
Internet comments as an ASCII file avoiding the use of special 
characters and any form of encryption. Please also include Attn: 
Royalty-In-Kind Small Refiner Sale Program, OMB Control Number 1010-
0135, and your name and return address in your Internet message. If you 
do not receive a confirmation from the system that we have received 
your Internet message, contact David S. Guzy directly at (303) 231-
3432.
    We will post public comments after the comment period closes on the 
Internet at http://www.rmp.mms.gov. You may arrange to view paper 
copies of the comments by contacting David S. Guzy, Chief, Rules and 
Publications Staff, telephone (303) 231-3432, fax (303) 231-3385. Our 
practice is to make comments, including names and addresses of 
respondents, available for public review on the Internet and during 
regular business hours at our offices in Lakewood, Colorado. Individual 
respondents may request that we withhold their home address from the 
rulemaking record, which we will honor to the extent allowable by law. 
There also may be circumstances in which we would withhold from the 
rulemaking record a respondent's identity, as allowable by law. If you 
wish us to withhold your name and/or address, you must state this 
prominently at the beginning of your comment. However, we will not 
consider anonymous comments. We will make all submissions from 
organizations or businesses, and from individuals identifying 
themselves as representatives or officials of organizations or 
businesses, available for public inspection in their entirety.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Dennis C. Jones, Rules and 
Publications Staff, phone (303) 231-3046, fax (303) 231-3385, email 
Dennis.C.J[email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Section 3506(c)(2)(A) of the Paperwork 
Reduction Act requires each agency ``to provide notice * * * and 
otherwise consult with members of the public and affected agencies 
concerning each proposed collection of information * * *'' Agencies 
must specifically solicit comments to: (a) Evaluate whether the 
proposed collection of information is necessary for the agency to 
perform its duties, including whether the information is useful; (b) 
evaluate the accuracy of the agency's estimate of the burden of the 
proposed collection of information; (c) enhance the quality, 
usefulness, and clarity of the information to be collected; and (d) 
minimize the burden on the

[[Page 66931]]

respondents, including the use of automated collection techniques or 
other forms of information technology.
    Interior is the department within the Federal Government 
responsible for matters relevant to mineral resource development on 
Federal and Indian Lands and the Outer Continental Shelf (OCS). The 
Secretary of the Interior (Secretary) is responsible for managing the 
production of minerals from Federal and Indian Lands and the OCS, for 
collecting royalties from lessees who produce minerals, and for 
distributing the funds collected in accordance with applicable laws. 
MMS performs the royalty management functions for the Secretary.
    When the Secretary determines that sufficient need exists among 
small refining companies to justify taking royalty oil in kind and 
offering this oil for sale to eligible refiners, small refiners may 
apply to participate in this sale of Federal royalty oil and follow 
procedures under which contracts for the purchase of royalty oil will 
be awarded. Completed applications to participate in the sale bid 
proposals, signed contracts, and surety instruments must be submitted 
to MMS.
    The application must be complete and timely filed, and applicants 
for royalty oil will be required to provide a surety instrument with 
their bid package. This surety instrument must be a Letter of Credit, 
Form MMS-4071, or a Royalty-In-Kind Contract Surety Bond, Form MMS-
4072. We estimate the annual reporting burden for refiners submitting 
either surety document is 1 hour. Both surety documents are approved 
for use through April 30, 2000, and can be found on our web site at 
http://www.rmp.mms.gov/custserv/pubserv/forms.htm.

    Dated: November 19, 1999.
Lucy Querques Denett,
Associate Director for Royalty Management.
[FR Doc. 99-30992 Filed 11-29-99; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4310-MR-P