[Federal Register Volume 68, Number 27 (Monday, February 10, 2003)]
[Notices]
[Pages 6757-6758]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 03-3258]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Bureau of Land Management

[WO-310-1310-PB-24 1A]


Extension of Approved Information Collection, OMB Control Number 
1004-0196

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) is requesting the Office of Management 
and Budget (OMB) to extend an existing approval to collect certain 
information from operators and operating rights owners who apply for 
designation of National Petroleum Reserve-Alaska (NPRA) unit 
agreements. We collect nonform information to determine whether to 
grant approval to operate under a unit plan for NPRA Federal lands. We 
require operators to retain and provide data to determine whether 
proposed unit agreements meet the requirements for unitized exploration 
and development of oil and gas resources of the NPRA.

DATES: You must submit your comments to BLM at the address below on or 
before April 11, 2003. BLM will not necessarily consider any comments 
received after the above date.

ADDRESSES: You may mail comments to: Bureau of Land Management, (WO-
630), Eastern States Office, 7450 Boston Blvd., Springfield, Virginia 
22153.
    You may send comments via Internet to: [email protected]. Please 
include ``ATTN: 1004-0196'' and your name and return address in your 
Internet message.
    You may deliver comments to the Bureau of Land Management, 
Administrative Record, Room 401, 1620 L Street, NW., Washington, DC.
    All 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 Barbara Gamble, Fluid 
Minerals Group, on (202) 452-0338 (Commercial or FTS). Persons 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 Ms. Gamble.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 5 CFR 1320.12(a) requires that BLM 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 estimates 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 burden of the collection of information 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.
    The Naval Petroleum Reserves Production Act of 1976, as amended (42 
U.S.C. 6501 et seq.), the Federal Land Policy and Management Act of 
1976 (43 U.S.C. 1701 et seq.), and the National Environmental Policy 
Act of 1969 (NEPA), as amended (42 U.S.C. 4321 et seq.), and 43 CFR 
3133, 3135, 3137, and 3138 require affected oil and gas operators and 
operating rights owners to maintain records or provide information to 
apply for suspensions of royalty; apply for suspensions of operations; 
form and maintain unit agreements; and to enter into subsurface storage 
agreements, respectively. All recordkeeping burdens are associated with 
the nonform items requested.
    The reporting burden of each provision for the information 
collection, including recordkeeping, depends on which information is 
required. The respondents are oil and gas operators and operating 
rights owners. The frequency of response varies from one-time only to 
occasionally to routine, depending on activities conducted. We estimate 
35 responses per year and a total annual burden of 410 hours. We based 
this estimate on our experience managing the program. The table below 
summarizes our estimates.

[[Page 6758]]



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                                                                     Hours per
Information collection (43 CFR)            Requirement               response       Respondents    Burden hours
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3133.4.........................  Royalty reduction..............           16                  1           16
3135.3.........................  Suspension of operations.......            4                  1            4
3135.6.........................  Notification of operations.....             .25               1             .25
3137.23........................  Unit designation...............           80                  3          240
3137.25........................  Notification of unit approval..            1                  3            3
3137.52........................  Certification for modification.            4                  1            4
3137.60........................  Acceptable Bonding.............             .5                3            1.5
3137.61........................  Change of unit operator........             .75               2            1.5
3137.70........................  Certification of unit                      2                  3            6
                                  obligation.
3137.71........................  Certification of continuing                2                  3            6
                                  development.
3137.84........................  Productivity for a PA..........           12                  2           24
3137.87........................  Unleased tracts................            3                  1            3
3137.88........................  Notification of productivity...             .5                1             .5
3137.91........................  Notification of productivity                .5                1             .5
                                  for non-unit well.
3137.92........................  Production information.........            1                  1            1
3137.112.......................  Lease extension................            3                  1            3
3137.113.......................  Inability to conduct operations            2                  1            2
                                  activities.
3137.130.......................  Unit termination...............            1                  2            2
3137.135.......................  Impact mitigation..............            4                  3           12
3138.11........................  Storage agreement..............           80                  1           80
                                                                                 -----------------
Total..........................  ...............................  ..............              35          410
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    BLM will summarize all responses to this notice and include them in 
the request for OMB approval. All comments will become a matter of 
public record.

    Dated: February 4, 2003.
Michael H. Schwartz,
Bureau of Land Management, Information Collection Clearance Officer.
[FR Doc. 03-3258 Filed 2-7-03; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4310-84-M