[Federal Register Volume 66, Number 67 (Friday, April 6, 2001)]
[Notices]
[Pages 18295-18297]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 01-8545]


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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 information collection (OMB Control 
Number 1010-0075).

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SUMMARY: To comply with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, we are 
soliciting comments on an information collection titled, Gas Processing 
and Transportation Allowance. 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 June 5, 2001.

ADDRESSES: Submit written comments to Dennis C. Jones, Regulations and 
FOIA Team, Minerals Management Service, Minerals Revenue Management, PO 
Box 25165, MS 3021, Denver, Colorado 80225. If you use an overnight 
courier service, our courier address is

[[Page 18296]]

Building 85, Room A-613, Denver Federal Center, Denver, Colorado 80225.

PUBLIC COMMENT PROCEDURE: Submit your comments to the addresses listed 
in the ADDRESSES section, or 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 Mr. Jones at (303) 231-3046. We will post all 
comments at http://www.mrm.mms.gov/Laws_R_ D/FRNotices/FRInfColl.htm 
for public review.
    We make copies of the comments available for public review, 
including names and addresses of respondents, 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 rulemaking 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, phone (303) 231-3046, 
FAX (303) 231-3385, email [email protected]. A copy of the 
information collection request (ICR) will be available to you without 
charge upon request. The ICR will also be posted to our web site at 
http://www.mrm.mms.gov/Laws_R_D/FRNotices/FRInfColl.htm when we submit 
the ICR to OMB for review and approval.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
    Title: Gas Processing and Transportation Allowance.
    OMB Control Number: 1010-0075.
    Bureau Form Number: MMS-4109, MMS-4295.
    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. We perform the 
royalty management functions and assist the Secretary in carrying out 
DOI's Indian trust responsibility.
    The product valuation and allowance determination process is 
essential to assure that the Indians receive payment on the proper 
value of the minerals being removed. To determine whether the amount of 
royalty tendered represents the proper royalty due, it is necessary to 
establish the proper value of the gas and gas plant products being 
sold, or otherwise disposed of in some other manner. Of equal 
importance is the proper determination of costs associated with the 
allowable deductions from the value of gas and gas plant products.
    Under certain circumstances, lessees are authorized to deduct from 
royalty payments, the reasonable actual costs of transporting the 
royalty portion of produced minerals from the lease to a processing or 
sales point not in the immediate lease area. Transportation allowances 
are a part of the product valuation process that the Minerals 
Management Service (MMS) uses to determine if the lessee is reporting 
and paying the proper royalty amount.
    Also, when gas is processed for the recovery of gas plant products, 
lessees may claim a processing allowance. MMS normally will accept the 
cost as stated in the lessee's arm's-length processing contract as 
being representative of the cost of the processing allowance. In those 
instances where gas is being processed through a lessee-owned plant, 
the processing costs shall be based upon the actual plant operating and 
maintenance expenses, depreciation, and a reasonable return on 
investment. The allowance is expressed as a cost per unit of individual 
gas plant products. Processing allowances may be taken as a deduction 
from royalty payments.
    Responses to this information collection are voluntary and are 
required for respondents to claim a gas processing and transportation 
allowance. Proprietary information is requested and protected, and 
there are no questions of sensitive nature involved in this collection 
of information.
    Frequency: On occasion.
    Estimated Number and Description of Respondents: 65 Indian lessees.
    Estimated Annual Reporting and Recordkeeping ``Hour'' Burden: 750 
hours.
    Estimated Annual Reporting and Recordkeeping ``Non-hour Cost'' 
Burden: n/a.
    Comments: 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 PRA 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 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 of 1995 provides that an agency shall 
not conduct or sponsor, and a person is not required to respond to, a 
collection of

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information unless it displays a currently valid OMB Control Number.

    Dated: March 23, 2001.
Lucy Querques Denett,
Associate Director for Minerals Revenue Management.
[FR Doc. 01-8545 Filed 4-5-01; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4310-MR-P