[Federal Register Volume 67, Number 144 (Friday, July 26, 2002)]
[Notices]
[Pages 48936-48938]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 02-18887]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Bureau of Land Management

[WO-320-1320-PB-24]


Extension of Approved Information Collection, OMB Approval Number 
1004-0073

AGENCY: Bureau of Land Management, Interior.

ACTION: Notice and request for comments.

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SUMMARY: In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, the 
Bureau of Land Management (BLM) requests the Office of Management and 
Budget (OMB) to extend an existing approval to collect information from 
any person, association, corporation, subsidiary, or affiliate 
interested in leasing or developing Federal coal. The BLM uses the 
information to determine if the applicant is qualified to hold a 
Federal coal lease.

DATES: You must submit your comments to BLM at the address below on or 
before September 24, 2002. BLM will not necessarily consider any 
comments received after the above date.

ADDRESSES: You may mail comments to: Regulatory Affairs Group (WO-630), 
Eastern States Office, 7450 Boston Blvd., Springfield, Virginia 22153.
    You may send comments via Internet to: [email protected]. Please 
include ``ATTN: 1004-0073'' and your name and address with your 
comments.
    You may deliver comments to the Bureau of Land Management, 
Administrative Record, Room 401, 1620 L Street, NW., Washington, DC.
    Comments will be available for public review at the L Street 
address during regular business hours (7:45 a.m. to 4:15 p.m.) Monday 
through Friday.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: You may contact William Radden Lesage, 
Solid Minerals Group, on (202) 452-

[[Page 48937]]

0360 (Commercial or FTS). Person who use a telecommunication device for 
the deaf (TDD) may call the Federal Information Relay Service (FIRS) on 
1-800-877-8330, 24 hours a day, seven days a week, to contact Mr. 
Lesage.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 5 CFR 1320.12(a) requires that we provide a 
60-day notice in the Federal Register concerning a collection of 
information to solicit comments on:
    (a) Whether the collection of information is necessary for the 
proper functioning of the agency, including whether the information 
will have practical utility;
    (b) The accuracy of our estimate of the information collection 
burden, including the validity of the methodology and assumptions we 
use;
    (c) Ways to enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of the 
information collected; and
    (d) Ways to minimize the information collection burden on those who 
are to respond, including the use of appropriate automated, electronic, 
mechanical, or other technological collection techniques or other forms 
of information technology.
    BLM manages the leasing and development of Federal coal under the 
regulations at 43 CFR Group 3400. These regulations implement numerous 
statutes including:
    (1) The Mineral Leasing Act of 1920;
    (2) The 1976 coal amendments (30 U.S.C. 181 et seq.);
    (3) The Mineral Leasing Act for Acquired Lands of 1947 (30 U.S.C. 
351-359);
    (4) The Federal Land Policy and Management Act of 1976 (43 U.S.C. 
1761 et seq.);
    (5) The Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act of 1977 (30 
U.S.C. 1201 et seq.);
    (6) The Multiple Mineral Development Act of 1954 (30 U.S.C. 521-
531);
    (7) The National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (42 U.S.C. 4321 
et seq.); and
    (8) The Act of October 30, 1978 (92 Stat. 2073-2075).
    BLM uses the information provided by the applicant(s) on BLM Forms 
3400-12 and 3440-1 to determine if the applicant to lease or develop 
Federal coal is qualified to hold such a lease.
    Based on BLM's experience administering the activities described 
below, we estimate the public reporting burden for the information 
collected is 20 hours and 15 minutes per response and the total annual 
burden is 23,896 hours. We estimate the number of responses per year is 
1,185. The respondents are applicants to lease or develop Federal coal 
and vary from individuals to small businesses and major corporations. 
BLM is specifically requesting your comments on its estimate of the 
amount of time that it takes to prepare a response.

 
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                                                                     Hrs. per        Number of
     Type of application                     43 CFR                  response          reps.        Total hrs.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Application for an             3410.2-1.........................              36              10             360
 exploration license.
Issuance and termination of    3410.3-1.........................              12               5              60
 an exploration license.
Operation under and            3410.3-3.........................               1               1               1
 modification of an
 exploration license.
Collection and submission of   3410.4...........................              18               5              90
 data from an exploration
 license.
Call for coal resource and     3420.1-2.........................               3               0               0
 other resource info..
Surface owner consultation...  3420.1-4.........................               1               7               7
Expressions of leasing         3420.3-2.........................               7               0               0
 interest.
Response to notice of sale...  3422.2...........................              56               8             448
Consultation with Attorney     3422.3-4.........................               4               7              28
 General.
Leasing on application.......  3425.............................             308              15           4,620
Surface owner consent........  3427.2(c)........................               1               7               7
Preference right lease         3430.3-1, 3430.4-1...............             800               3           2,400
 application.
Lease modifications..........  3432.1...........................              12               5              60
 License to mine.............  3440.............................              21               2              42
Relinquishments..............  3452.1-1, 3452.1-2...............              18              30             540
Transfers, assignments,        3453.2-1.........................              10              43             430
 subleases.
Bonds........................  3410.3-4, 3453.2-4, 3474.1,                     8             196           1,568
                                3474.2.
Land description requirements  3471.1-1.........................               2              15              30
Future interest lease          3471.4...........................              16               0               0
 application.
Special leasing                3472.1-2.........................               3               4              12
 qualifications.
Qualification statement......  3472.2...........................               3               4              12
Lease rental and royalty rate  3473.3-4.........................              13               9             117
 reductions.
Lease suspensions............  3473.4, 3483.3...................              20               7             140
Lease form...................  3475.1...........................               1              12              12
Logical mining units.........  3475.6, 3481.2, 3487.............             170               5             850
General obligations of the     3481.1...........................               1               1               1
 operator/lessee.
Exploration plans............  3482.1(a)........................              30              11             330
Resource recovery and          3482.1(b)........................             192               4             768
 protection plan.
Modifications to exploration   3482.2...........................              16              79           1,264
 plans and resource recovery
 and protection plans.
Mining operations maps.......  3482.3...........................              20             311           6,220
Request for payment of         3483.4...........................              22              12             264
 advance royalty in lieu of
 continued operation.
Performance standards for      3484.1(a)........................               1              22              22
 exploration (Retention of
 samples).
Performance standards for      3484.1(b)........................               1               6               6
 surface and underground coal
 mines.
Exploration reports..........  3485.1(a), 3485.1(b), 3485.1(c)..               4               7              28
Production reports...........  3485.1(d), 3485.3................              10             323           3,230
Notices and orders...........  3486.2...........................               3               1               3

[[Page 48938]]

 
Enforcement..................  3486.3...........................               2               8              16
                                                                                 -------------------------------
    Total....................  .................................  ..............           1,185          23,986
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    Any member of the public may request and obtain, without charge, a 
copy of the BLM Forms 3400-12 and 3400-1 by contacting the person 
identified under FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT.
    BLM will summarize all responses to this notice and include them in 
the request for OMB approval. All comments will become a matter of a 
public record.

    Dated: July 11, 2002.
Michael H. Schwartz,
Bureau of Land Management, Information Collection Clearance Officer.
[FR Doc. 02-18887 Filed 7-25-02; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4310-84-M