[Federal Register Volume 66, Number 163 (Wednesday, August 22, 2001)]
[Notices]
[Pages 44154-44156]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 01-21098]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Minerals Management Service


Agency Information Collection Activities: Submitted for Office of 
Management and Budget (OMB) Review; Comment Request

AGENCY: Minerals Management Service (MMS), Interior.

ACTION: Notice of a revision of a currently approved information 
collection (OMB control number 1010-0061).

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SUMMARY: To comply with the Paperwork Reduction Act (PRA) of 1995, we 
are submitting to OMB for review and approval an information collection 
request (ICR), titled ``Oil Transportation Allowances.'' We are also 
soliciting comments from the public on this ICR.

DATES: Submit written comments on or before September 21, 2001.

ADDRESSES: Submit written comments directly to the Office of 
Information and Regulatory Affairs, OMB, Attention: Desk Officer for 
the Department of the Interior (OMB Control Number 1010-0061), 725 17th 
Street, NW., Washington, DC 20503. Also, submit copies of your written 
comments to Carol Shelby, Regulatory Specialist, Minerals Management 
Service, MS 320B2, P.O. Box 25165, Denver, Colorado 80225. If you use 
an overnight courier service, the MMS courier address is Building 85, 
Room A-614, Denver Federal Center, Denver, Colorado 80225. You may also 
submit your comments at our email address [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. 
Shelby at (303) 231-3151 or FAX (303) 231-3385.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Carol Shelby, Regulatory Specialist, 
telephone (303) 231-3151, FAX (303) 231-3385, email 
[email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
    Title: Oil Transportation Allowances.
    OMB Control Number: 1010-0061.
    Bureau Form Number: Form MMS-4110.
    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. MMS performs the 
royalty management functions for the Secretary.
    When a company or an individual enters into a lease to explore, 
develop, produce, and dispose of oil from Indian lands, that company or 
individual agrees to pay the Indian tribe or allottee a share (royalty) 
of the value received from production from the leased lands. Royalty 
rates are specified in the lease document. To determine whether the 
amount of royalty tendered represents the proper royalty due, it is 
first necessary to establish the proper value of the oil that is being 
sold or otherwise disposed of in some other manner, as well as the 
proper costs associated with allowable deductions.
    The lease creates a business relationship between the lessor and 
the lessee. The lessee is required to report various kinds of 
information to the lessor relative to the disposition of the leased 
minerals. Such information is similar to data which are reported to 
private and public mineral interest owners and are generally available 
within the records of the lessee or others involved in developing, 
transporting, processing, purchasing, or selling of such minerals. The 
information collected includes data necessary to assure that the 
royalties that are computed and paid are appropriate.
    MMS normally accepts the gross proceeds accruing to the lessee 
under its arm's-length oil sales contract, less allowable 
transportation deductions, as representing proper value for royalty. We 
will also accept, for royalty valuation purposes, the prices in other 
than arm's-length oil sales contracts, less applicable transportation 
deductions, if the criteria in the benchmarks at 30 CFR 206.52(c) are 
met, and provided that the value is not less than gross proceeds 
accruing to the lessee under 30 CFR 206.52(h). In some circumstances, 
lessees are authorized to deduct from royalty payments the reasonable 
actual cost of transporting the royalty portion of the oil from the 
lease to a delivery point remote from the lease. Transportation 
allowances are a part of the product valuation process that MMS uses to 
determine if the lessee is reporting and paying the proper royalty 
amount.
    Submission of the information in this collection (Form MMS-4110) is 
necessary when claiming a transportation allowance on an Indian lease. 
MMS is requesting OMB approval for a 3-year extension of this current 
ICR as well as approval for minor revisions necessary to make Form MMS-
4110 compatible with our reengineered financial and compliance systems. 
Proprietary information that is submitted is protected, and there are 
no questions of a sensitive nature included in this information 
collection.
    Frequency: Annually.
    Estimated Number and Description of Respondents: 3 Indian lessees.
    Estimated Annual Reporting and Recordkeeping ``Hour'' Burden: 5 
hours. See the following chart for the components of the burden 
estimate. In estimating the burden, we assumed that respondents perform 
certain functions, such as records maintenance, in the normal course of 
their business activities. These functions are considered usual and 
customary and therefore are not listed in the following estimate even 
though records maintenance is an MMS regulatory requirement.

[[Page 44155]]



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                                            Reporting or                                   Annual       Annual
               Section                     recordkeeping        Burden hours per line    number of      burden
                                            requirement                                    lines        hours
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Sec.  206.55(c)(1)(i)...............  Reporting requirements-- 9 minutes..............            5        \3/4\
                                       Arm's length
                                       contracts. With the
                                       exception of those
                                       transportation per
                                       line hour allowances
                                       specified in
                                       paragraphs (c)(1)(v)
                                       and (c)(1)(vi) of this
                                       section, the lessee
                                       shall submit page one
                                       of the initial Form
                                       MMS-4110 (and Schedule
                                       1), Oil Transportation
                                       Allowance Report,
                                       prior to, or at the
                                       same time as, the
                                       transportation
                                       allowance determined,
                                       under an arm's-length
                                       contract, is reported
                                       on Form MMS-2014,
                                       Report of Sales and
                                       Royalty Remittance.
Sec.  206.55(c)(1)(iii).............  After the initial        5 minutes..............            3        \1/4\
                                       reporting period and
                                       for succeeding
                                       reporting periods,
                                       lessees must submit
                                       page one of Form MMS-
                                       4110 (and Schedule 1)
                                       within 3 months after
                                       the end of the
                                       calendar year, or
                                       after the applicable
                                       contract or rate
                                       terminates or is
                                       modified or amended,
                                       whichever is earlier,
                                       unless MMS approves a
                                       longer period (during
                                       which period the
                                       lessee shall continue
                                       to use the allowance
                                       from the previous
                                       reporting period).
Sec.  206.55(c)(2)(i)...............  Reporting requirements-- 20 minutes.............            6            2
                                       non-arm's-length or no
                                       contract. With the
                                       exception of those per
                                       line transportation
                                       allowances specified
                                       in paragraphs
                                       (c)(2)(v), (c)(2)(vii)
                                       and (c)(2)(viii) of
                                       this section, the
                                       lessee shall submit an
                                       initial Form MMS-4110
                                       prior to, or at the
                                       same time as, the
                                       transportation
                                       allowance determined
                                       under a non-arm's-
                                       length contract or no-
                                       contract situation is
                                       reported on Form MMS-
                                       2014 * * * The initial
                                       report may be based
                                       upon estimated costs.
Sec.  206.55(c)(2)(iii).............  For calendar-year        20 minutes.............            3  ...........
                                       reporting periods
                                       succeeding the initial
                                       reporting period, the
                                       lessee shall submit a
                                       completed Form MMS-
                                       4110 containing the
                                       actual costs for the
                                       previous reporting
                                       period. If oil
                                       transportation is
                                       continuing, the lessee
                                       shall include on Form
                                       MMS-4110 its estimated
                                       costs for the next
                                       calendar year * * *.
                                      MMS must receive the     20 minutes.............            3            1
                                       Form MMS-4110 within 3
                                       months after the end
                                       of the previous
                                       reporting period,
                                       unless MMS approves a
                                       longer period (during
                                       which period the
                                       lessee shall continue
                                       to use the allowance
                                       from the previous
                                       reporting period).
                                                                                       -------------------------
                                      Total..................  .......................           20            5
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    Estimated Annual Reporting and Recordkeeping ``Non-hour Cost'' 
Burden: We have identified no ``non-hour cost'' burden.
    Comments: Section 3506(c)(2)(A) of the PRA (44 U.S.C. 3501, et 
seq.) 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.
    To comply with the public consultation process, on November 13, 
2000, we published a Federal Register notice (65 FR 67755) announcing 
that we would submit this ICR to OMB for approval. The notice provided 
the required 60-day comment period. We received one comment. We 
responded to the comment in our ICR submission for OMB approval. We 
have posted a copy of the ICR at our Internet web site http://www.mrm.mms.gov/Laws_R_D/FRNotices/FRInfColl.htm. We will also provide 
a copy of the ICR to you without charge upon request.
    If you wish to comment in response to this notice, please send your 
comments directly to the offices listed under the ADDRESSES section of 
this notice. OMB has up to 60 days to approve or disapprove the 
information collection but may respond after 30 days. Therefore, to 
ensure maximum consideration, OMB should receive your comments by 
September 21, 2001. The PRA provides that an agency may 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.
    Public Comment Policy: We will post all comments received in 
response to this notice on our Internet web site at http://www.mrm.mms.gov/Laws_R_D/InfoColl/InfoColCom.htm for public review. We 
also make copies of these comments, including names and home addresses 
of respondents, 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 record, which we will honor to the extent allowable by 
law. There may be circumstances in which we would withhold from the 
record a respondent's identity, as allowable by the law. If you wish us 
to withhold your name and/or address, you must state this prominently 
at the beginning of your comments. 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.

[[Page 44156]]

    MMS Information Collection Clearance Officer: Jo Ann Lauterbach, 
telephone (202) 208-7744.

    Dated: August 7, 2001.
Lucy Querques Denett,
Associate Director for Minerals Revenue Management.
[FR Doc. 01-21098 Filed 8-21-01; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4310-MR-P