[Federal Register Volume 65, Number 218 (Thursday, November 9, 2000)]
[Notices]
[Pages 67399-67400]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 00-28822]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Minerals Management Service


Agency Information Collection Activities: Proposed Collection, 
Comment Request

AGENCY: Minerals Management Service (MMS), Interior.

ACTION: Notice of an extension of an information collection (OMB 
Control Number 1010-0074).

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SUMMARY: To comply with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, we are 
soliciting comments on an information collection titled, Coal Washing 
and Transportation Allowances. We will submit an information collection 
request (ICR) to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for review 
and approval after this comment period closes.

DATES: Submit written comments on or before January 8, 2001.

ADDRESSES: Submit written comments to Connie Bartram, Acting Chief, 
Regulations and FOIA Team, Minerals Management Service, Minerals 
Revenue Management, P.O. Box 25165, MS 320B2, Denver, Colorado 80225. 
If you use an overnight courier service, our courier address is 
Building 85, Room A-613, Denver Federal Center, Denver, Colorado 80225.

PUBLIC COMMENT PROCEDURE: You may mail your comments to us (see 
ADDRESSES section), or you may email your comments to us at 
[email protected]. Include the title of the information collection 
and the OMB Control Number in the ``Attention'' line of your comment; 
also, include your name and return address. Submit electronic comments 
as an ASCII file avoiding the use of special characters and any form of 
encryption. If you do not receive a confirmation that we have received 
your email, contact Ms. Bartram at (303) 231-3410, FAX (303) 231-3385. 
We will post all comments at http://www.rmp.mms.gov for public review.
    Also, contact Ms. Bartram to review paper copies of the comments. 
The comments, including names and addresses of respondents, are 
available for public review during regular business hours at our 
offices in Lakewood, Colorado. Individual respondents may request that 
we withhold their home address from the public record, which we will 
honor to the extent allowable by law.
    There also may be circumstances in which we would withhold from the 
public record a respondent's identity, as allowable by law. If you 
request that we withhold your name and/or address, 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, Regulations and FOIA 
Team, phone (303) 231-3046, FAX (303) 231-3385, email 
[email protected]. A copy of the ICR will be available to you 
without charge upon request.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
    Title: Coal Washing and Transportation Allowances.
    OMB Control Number: 1010-0074.
    Bureau Form Number: n/a.
    Abstract: The Department of the Interior (DOI) is 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. The Secretary also 
has an Indian trust responsibility to manage Indian lands and seek 
advice and information from Indian beneficiaries.
    The Secretary is required by various laws to manage the production 
of mineral resources on Indian lands, to collect the royalties due, and 
to distribute the funds in accordance with those laws. The product 
valuation and allowance determination process that we perform on behalf 
of the Secretary is essential to assure that the Indians receive 
payment on the full value of the minerals being removed. When a company 
or an individual enters into a lease to develop, mine, and dispose of 
coal deposits from Indian lands, that company or individual (the 
lessee) agrees to pay the gross proceeds received from the sale of 
production from the leased lands.
    Royalty rates are specified in an Indian lease agreement. The 
lessee is required to report various kinds of information to the lessor 
relative to the transportation, processing, and commercial transactions 
associated with the disposition of the leased minerals. In order to 
determine whether the amount of royalty tendered represents the proper 
royalty due, it is necessary to establish the value of the coal being 
sold or otherwise disposed of in some other manner (for example, used 
by the lessee). Under some circumstances the lessee may be authorized 
to deduct certain costs in the calculation of royalties due from an 
Indian lease, and allowances may be granted from royalties to 
compensate the lessee for the reasonable actual cost of washing and 
transporting the royalty portion of coal.
    Frequency: Annually.
    Estimated Number and Description of Respondents: 1 company or 
individual entering into an Indian lease.
    Estimated Annual Reporting and Recordkeeping ``Hour'' Burden: 2 
hours.

[[Page 67400]]

    Estimated Annual Reporting and Recordkeeping ``Non-hour Cost'' 
Burden: n/a.
    Comments: The Paperwork Reduction Act at 44 U.S.C. 3506(c)(2)(A) 
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 Paperwork Reduction Act also requires agencies to estimate the 
total annual reporting ``non-hour cost'' burden to respondents or 
recordkeepers resulting from the collection of information. We have not 
identified non-hour cost burdens and need to know if there are other 
costs associated with the collection of this information for either 
total capital and startup cost components or annual operation, 
maintenance, and purchase of service components. Your estimates should 
consider the costs to generate, maintain, and disclose or provide the 
information. You should describe the methods you use to estimate major 
cost factors, including system and technology acquisition, expected 
useful life of capital equipment, discount rate(s), and the period over 
which you incur costs. Capital and startup costs include, among other 
items, computers and software you purchase to prepare for collecting 
information; monitoring, sampling, drilling, and testing equipment; and 
record storage facilities.
    Your estimates should not include equipment or services purchased: 
(i) Before October 1, 1995; (ii) to comply with requirements not 
associated with the information collection; (iii) for reasons other 
than to provide information or keep records for the Government; or (iv) 
as part of customary and usual business or private practices.
    The Paperwork Reduction Act provides that an agency shall not 
conduct or sponsor, and a person is not required to respond to, a 
collection of information unless it displays a currently valid OMB 
Control Number.

    Dated: November 3, 2000.
Cathy Hamilton,
Acting Associate Director for Minerals Revenue Management.
[FR Doc. 00-28822 Filed 11-8-00; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4310-MR-P