[Federal Register Volume 67, Number 232 (Tuesday, December 3, 2002)]
[Notices]
[Pages 71979-71980]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 02-30565]


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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 extension of a currently approved information 
collection (OMB Control Number 1010-0135).

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SUMMARY: To comply with the Paperwork Reduction Act (PRA) of 1995, we 
are inviting comments on a collection of information that we will 
submit to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for review and 
approval. The information collection request (ICR) is titled ``30 CFR 
208.11(a), (b), (d) and (e)--Surety Requirements (Forms MMS-4071 and 
MMS-4072).

DATES: Submit written comments on or before February 3, 2003.

ADDRESSES: Submit written comments to Sharron L. Gebhardt, Regulatory 
Specialist, Minerals Management Service, Minerals Revenue Management, 
P.O. Box 25165, MS320B2, Denver, Colorado 80225. If you use an 
overnight courier service, our courier address is Building 85, Room A-
614, Denver Federal Center, Denver, Colorado 80225. You may also 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 we have received your email, contact Ms. Gebhardt at (303) 
231-3211.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Sharron L. Gebhardt, telephone (303) 
231-3211, FAX (303) 231-3385, or e-mail [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
    Title: 30 CFR 208.11 (a), (b), (d) and (e)--Surety Requirements.
    OMB Control Number: 1010-0135.
    Bureau Form Numbers: Forms MMS-4071 and MMS-4072.
    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; collecting 
royalties from lessees who produce minerals; and distributing the funds 
collected in accordance with applicable laws. MMS performs the royalty 
management functions for the Secretary.
    When the Secretary determines that sufficient need exists among 
small refining companies to justify taking royalty oil in kind and 
offering this oil for sale to eligible refiners, small refiners may 
apply to participate in this sale of Federal royalty oil and follow 
procedures under which contracts for the purchase of royalty oil will 
be awarded. Completed applications to participate in the sale bid 
proposals, signed contracts, and surety instruments are submitted to 
MMS.
    The application must be complete and timely filed, and applicants 
for royalty oil may be required to provide a surety instrument with 
their bid package. This surety instrument may be a Letter of Credit 
(Form MMS-4071) or a Royalty-In-Kind Contract Surety Bond (Form MMS-
4072), or other acceptable commercial surety.
    MMS is requesting OMB's approval to continue to collect this 
information. Without the surety protection, the Government can lose 
money if a refiner does not pay for oil he has received. Proprietary 
information submitted is

[[Page 71980]]

protected, and there are no questions of a sensitive nature included in 
this ICR.
    We have also changed the title of this ICR to clarify the 
regulatory language we are covering under 30 CFR part 208.
    Frequency of Response: On occasion.
    Estimated Number and Description of Respondents: 10 purchasers.
    Estimated Annual Reporting and Recordkeeping ``Hour'' Burden: 10 
burden hours. The following chart shows the breakdown of the estimated 
burden hours by CFR section and paragraph.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                                   Burden hours    Annual number   Annual burden
           30 CFR section               Reporting requirement      per response    of responses        hours
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
208.11 (a), (b), (d), and (e)......  The eligible purchaser,                   1              10              10
                                      prior to execution of the
                                      contract, shall furnish an
                                      ``MMS-specified surety
                                      instrument,'' in an amount
                                      equal to the estimated
                                      value of royalty oil that
                                      could be taken by the
                                      purchaser in a 99-day
                                      period, plus related
                                      administrative charges * *
                                      * The purchaser or its
                                      surety company may elect
                                      not to renew the letter of
                                      credit at any monthly
                                      anniversary date, but must
                                      notify MMS of its intent
                                      not to renew at least 30
                                      days prior to the
                                      anniversary date. * * *
                                      The ``MMS-specified surety
                                      instrument'' shall be in
                                      the form specified by MMS
                                      instructions or approved
                                      by MMS. All surety
                                      instruments must be in a
                                      form acceptable to MMS and
                                      must include such other
                                      specific requirements as
                                      MMS may require adequately
                                      to protect the
                                      Government's interests.
                                                                 -----------------------------------------------
    Total..........................  ...........................  ..............  ..............              10
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    Estimated Annual Reporting and Recordkeeping ``Non-Hour Cost'' 
Burden: We have identified no cost burdens for this collection.
    Comments: The PRA (44 U.S.C. 3501, et seq.) provides 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. Before submitting an ICR to OMB, PRA section 
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 PRA also requires agencies to estimate the total annual 
reporting ``non-hour cost'' burden to respondents or record keepers 
resulting from the collection of information. We have not identified 
non-hour cost burdens for this information collection. If you have 
costs to generate, maintain, and disclose this information, you should 
comment and provide your total capital and startup cost components or 
annual operation, maintenance, and purchase of service components. 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, testing equipment; and record 
storage facilities. Generally, 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.
    We will summarize written responses to this notice and address them 
in our ICR submission for OMB approval, including appropriate 
adjustments to the estimated burden. We will provide a copy of the ICR 
to you without charge upon request, and the ICR will also be posted on 
our Web site at http://www.mrm.mms.gov/Laws_R_D/FRNotices/FRInfColl.htm.
    Public Comment Policy: We will post all comments in response to 
this notice on our Web site at http://www.mrm.mms.gov/Laws_R_D/FRNotices/FRInfColl.htm. We will also 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 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.
    MMS Information Collection Clearance Officer: Jo Ann Lauterbach, 
(202) 208-7744.

    Dated: November 25, 2002.
Lucy Querques Denett,
Associate Director for Minerals Revenue Management.
[FR Doc. 02-30565 Filed 12-2-02; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4310-MR-P