[Federal Register Volume 64, Number 232 (Friday, December 3, 1999)]
[Notices]
[Pages 67930-67931]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 99-31336]


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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 Delegation of Authority to 
States, OMB Control Number 1010-0088, which expires on June 30, 2000.

DATES: Written comments should be received on or before February 1, 
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, 
CO 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

[[Page 67931]]

submit Internet comments as an ASCII file avoiding the use of special 
characters and any form of encryption. Please also include Attn: 
Delegation of Authority to States, OMB Control Number 1010-0088, 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 respondents, including the use of automated 
collection techniques or other forms of information technology.
    The Department of the Interior (DOI) is the department within the 
Federal Government responsible for matters relevant to mineral resource 
development on Federal and Indian Lands and the Other 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.
    We amended our regulations to authorize the delegation of certain 
Federal royalty management functions to states. On August 13, 1996, 
Congress enacted the Federal Oil and Gas Royalty Simplification and 
Fairness Act of 1996, Pub. L. 104-185, as corrected by Pub. L. 104-200 
(RSFA). RSFA amends portions of the Federal Oil and Gas Royalty 
Management Act of 1982 (FOGRMA), 30 U.S.C. 1701 et seq. Prior to 
enactment, section 205 of FOGRMA, 30 U.S.C. 1735, provided for the 
delegation of only audits, inspections, and investigations to the 
States. RSFA amendments to section 205 now provide that MMS may 
delegate other Federal royalty management functions to requesting 
States:
    (1) Conducting audits, and investigations;
    (2) Receiving and processing production and royalty reports;
    (3) Correcting erroneous report data;
    (4) Performing automated vertification; and
    (5) Issuing demands, subpoenas (except for solid mineral and 
geothermal leases), orders to perform restructured accounting, and 
related tolling agreements and notices to lessees or their designees.
    We estimate that the annual burden to states participating in these 
delegated functions is 10,400 hours. We estimate that the annual burden 
for industry will be 200,000 hours for payors and reporters providing 
royalty and production reports to MMS.

    Dated: November 24, 1999.
Lucy Querques Denett,
Associate Director for Royalty Management.
[FR Doc. 99-31336 Filed 12-2-99; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4310-MR-M