[Federal Register Volume 66, Number 73 (Monday, April 16, 2001)]
[Proposed Rules]
[Page 19413]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 01-9401]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Bureau of Land Management

43 CFR Parts 3000, 3100, 3200, 3400, 3500, 3600, and 3800

[WO-610-4111-02-24-IA]
RIN 1004-AC64


Oil and Gas Leasing; Geothermal Resources Leasing; Coal 
Management; Management of Solid Minerals Other Than Coal; Mineral 
Materials Disposal; and Mining Claims Under the General Mining Laws

AGENCY: Bureau of Land Management, Interior.

ACTION: Proposed rule; notice of extension of public comment period.

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SUMMARY: The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) is extending the public 
comment period on a Notice of Proposed Rule, published in the Federal 
Register on December 15, 2000 (65 FR 78440). The proposed rule would 
amend BLM mineral resources regulations to increase fees and to impose 
new fees to cover BLM's costs of processing certain documents relating 
to its minerals programs. The primary purpose of this rule is to charge 
those who benefit from these minerals programs, rather than the general 
public, the costs of BLM minerals documents processing. In response to 
public requests for additional time, BLM had extended the comment 
period 60 days from the original comment period closing date of 
February 13, 2001, to the extended comment period's closing date of 
April 16, 2001. BLM is now extending the comment period by an 
additional 75 days to a closing date of July 2, 2001, so all segments 
of the affected public have enough time to respond to the proposed 
rule. BLM is especially interested in receiving comments related to the 
impact of recovering these processing costs, particularly those 
assessed on a case-by-case basis, on small, independent oil, gas, and 
minerals operations. We encourage comments and suggestions on possible 
mechanisms to control administrative costs and reduce the uncertainty 
of processing costs.

DATES: Send your comments to BLM on or before July 2, 2001, to assure 
BLM will consider them in preparing the final rule.

ADDRESSES: Send your comments to the Bureau of Land Management, 
Administrative Record, Room 401 LS, 1849 C Street, NW., Washington, DC 
20240, or hand deliver comments to the Bureau of Land Management 
Administrative Record, Room 401, 1620 L Street, NW., Washington, DC. 
For information about filing comments electronically, see the 
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION section under ``Electronic access and filing 
address.''

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For questions about fluid minerals 
(oil, gas, geothermal resources) call Kermit Witherbee at (202) 452-
0335. For questions about solid minerals, including coal, Durga Rimal 
at (202) 452-0372. If you require a telecommunications device for the 
deaf (TDD), you may call the Federal Information Relay Service at 1-
800-877-8339 between 8:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m. Eastern time, Monday 
through Friday, excluding Federal holidays.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Electronic Access and Filing Address

    You can view an electronic version of this proposed rule at BLM's 
Internet home page: www.blm.gov. You can also comment via the Internet 
to: [email protected]. Please include ``Attention: AC64'' and your name 
and return address in your Internet message. If you do not receive a 
confirmation from our system that we have received your Internet 
message, contact us directly at (202) 452-5030.

Written Comments

    Written comments on the proposed rule should:

A. Be specific;
B. Be confined to issues pertinent to the proposed rule;
C. Explain the reason for any recommended change; and
D. Reference the specific section or paragraph of the proposal you are 
addressing.

    The BLM may not necessarily consider or include in the 
Administrative Record for the final rule comments which BLM receives 
after the close of the comment period (See DATES) or comments delivered 
to an address other than those listed above (See ADDRESSES).
    You can review comments, including names, street addresses, and 
other contact information of respondents at this address during regular 
business hours (7:45 a.m. to 4:15 p.m.), Monday through Friday, except 
Federal holidays. If you are an individual respondent you may request 
confidentiality. If you request that BLM consider withholding your 
name, street address, and other contact information (such as: Internet 
address, FAX or phone number) from public review or from disclosure 
under the Freedom of Information Act, you must state this prominently 
at the beginning of your comment. BLM will honor requests for 
confidentiality on a case-by-case basis to the extent allowed by law. 
BLM will make available for public inspection in their entirety all 
submissions from organizations or businesses, and from individuals 
identifying themselves as representatives or officials of organizations 
or businesses.

    Dated: April 10, 2001.
Piet deWitt,
Acting Assistant Secretary, Land and Minerals Management.
[FR Doc. 01-9401 Filed 4-13-01; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4310-84-M