[Federal Register Volume 68, Number 76 (Monday, April 21, 2003)]
[Notices]
[Pages 19575-19577]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 03-9784]


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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 an extension of a currently approved information 
collection (OMB Control Number 1010-0139).

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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 
Part 216, Production Accounting; Subpart A, General Provisions; and 
Subpart B, Oil and Gas, General.''

DATES: Submit written comments on or before June 20, 2003.

ADDRESSES: Submit written comments to Sharron L. Gebhardt, Regulatory 
Specialist, Minerals Management Service, Minerals Revenue Management, 
PO Box 25165, MS 320B2, 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 e-mail 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 email [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
    Title: ``30 CFR Part 216, Production Accounting; Subpart A, General 
Provisions; and Subpart B, Oil and Gas, General.''
    OMB Control Number: 1010-0139.
    Bureau Form Number: Forms MMS-4054 and MMS-4058.
    Abstract: The Secretary of the U.S. Department of the Interior 
(DOI) is responsible for collecting royalties from lessees who produce 
minerals from leased Federal and Indian lands. The Secretary is 
required by various laws to manage mineral resources production on 
Federal and Indian lands, collect the royalties due, and distribute the 
funds in accordance with those 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 and assists the Secretary in carrying out DOI's 
Indian trust responsibility.
    The financial accounting system is an integrated computer system 
that includes production reports submitted by lease/agreement operators 
and is designed to track minerals produced from Federal and Indian 
lands from the point of production to the point of disposition, or 
royalty determination, and/or point of sale. The financial accounting 
system also includes payment and sales volumes and values as reported 
by payors. The production and royalty volumes are compared to verify 
that proper royalties are received for the minerals produced.
    The production reports provide MMS with ongoing information on 
lease, unit, or communitization agreement (lease/agreement) and 
facility production, sales volumes, and inventories. The reports 
summarize all operations on a lease/agreement or facility during a

[[Page 19576]]

reporting period. They identify production by the American Petroleum 
Institute well number and sales by product. Data collected are used as 
a method of cross-checking reported production with reported sales. 
Failure to collect this information will prevent MMS from ensuring that 
all royalties owed on lease production are paid. Additionally, the data 
is shared electronically with the Bureau of Land Management, MMS's 
Offshore Minerals Management, Bureau of Indian Affairs, and tribal and 
State governments so they can perform their lease management 
responsibilities.
    Form MMS-4054, Oil and Gas Operations Report (OGOR), is a three-
part form that identifies all oil and gas lease production and 
dispositions. The form is used for all production reporting for 
offshore Outer Continental Shelf and onshore Federal and Indian lands. 
Monthly production information is compared with monthly sales and 
royalty data submitted on Form MMS-2014, Report of Sales and Royalty 
Remittance, (OMB Control Number 1010-0140) to ensure proper royalties 
are paid on the oil and gas production reported to MMS. MMS uses the 
information from parts A, B, and C of the OGOR to track all oil and gas 
from the point of production to the point of first sale or other 
disposition. To streamline preparation of modified reports, the 
operator has the option of modifying the reporting line (delete/add by 
detail line) or replacing (overlaying) the previous report.
    OGOR, Part A, Well Production: All operators submit part A, Well 
Production, for each lease or agreement with active wells until such 
wells are abandoned and inventories are disposed. Each line identifies 
a well/producing interval combination showing well status; days on 
production; volumes of oil, gas, and water produced; and any volumes 
injected during the report month.
    OGOR, Part B, Product Disposition: For any month with production 
volumes, operators submit part B, Product Disposition, to identify the 
sales, transfers, and lease use of production reported on part A. A 
separate line for each disposition shows: (1) The volume of oil, gas, 
or water; (2) the sales meter or other meter identifier; (3) the gas 
plant for instances where gas was processed prior to royalty 
determination; and (4) the quality of production sold.
    OGOR, Part C, Product Sales From Facility: The lease operators who 
store their production before selling it must submit part C, Product 
Sales From Facility. Separate lines for each product identify the 
storage facility, sales meter if applicable, quality of production 
sold, beginning and ending storage inventory, volume of sales, and 
volumes of other gains and losses to inventory.
    Form MMS-4058, Production Allocation Schedule Report (PASR), is 
submitted monthly by operators of the facilities and measurement points 
where production from an offshore lease or metering point is commingled 
with production from other sources before it is measured for royalty 
determination. MMS uses the data to determine whether sales reported by 
the lessee are reasonable. Each line identifies a lease or metering 
point and allocated sales or transfer volumes. Delivered production 
volumes are no longer reported. Space has been provided on each detail 
line for the operator's property name (area/block), and a column has 
been added for indicating whether the operator is injecting oil, gas, 
or both into the pipeline system. Beginning and ending inventory are no 
longer reported. To streamline preparation of modified reports, the 
operator has the option of modifying (delete/add by detail line) or 
replacing (overlaying) the previous report.
    No proprietary information will be submitted to MMS under this 
collection. No items of a sensitive nature are collected. The 
requirement to respond is mandatory.
    We have also changed the title of this ICR from ``Production 
Accounting and Auditing System Oil and Gas Reports (Forms MMS-4054, 
MMS-4055, MMS-4056, and MMS-4058)'' to ``30 CFR Part 216, Production 
Accounting; Subpart A, General Provisions; and Subpart B, Oil and Gas, 
General'' to clarify the regulatory language we are covering under 30 
CFR part 216.
    Frequency of Response: Monthly and as required.
    Estimated Number and Description of Respondents: 2,500 industry 
operators.
    Estimated Annual Reporting and Recordkeeping ``Hour'' Burden: 
76,630 hours.
    The burden estimates include the time for reviewing instructions, 
searching existing data sources, gathering and maintaining the data 
needed, and completing and reviewing the collection of information. The 
following chart shows the breakdown of the estimated burden hours by 
CFR section and paragraph:

                                       Respondent Annual Burden Hour Chart
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
  30 CFR part 216 subparts A                                    Burden hours per   Annual Number   Annual burden
            and B                   Reporting requirement           response       of responses        hours
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216.11; 216.16(a); 216.21;     You must submit your Oil and     .25 hour                 294,000          73,500
 216.40(d); 216.53(a), (b),     Gas Operations Report, Form      (Electronic).             6,000           1,500
 and (c).                       MMS-4054, in accordance with    .25 hour
                                electronic reporting             (Manual).
                                requirements * * * All
                                reporting forms * * * should
                                be mailed to the Minerals
                                Management Service, Minerals
                                Revenue Management, * * * The
                                reporter shall submit
                                accurately, completely, and
                                timely, * * * all information
                                forms and other information
                                required by MMS. * * * The
                                reporter shall have the burden
                                of proving that a reporting
                                problem was unavoidable. You
                                must file an Oil and Gas
                                Operations Report, Form MMS-
                                4054, * * * You must submit a
                                Form MMS-4054 for each well
                                for each calendar month * * *
                                MMS must receive your
                                completed Form MMS-4054 * * *
                                Electronically * * * Other
                                than electronically * * *.
216.56(a), (b), and (c)......  Any operator of an offshore      .1167 hour                 7,280             850
                                Facility Measurement Point * *   (Electronic).            33,120             780
                                * must file a Production        .25 hour
                                Allocation Schedule Report       (Manual).
                                (Form MMS-4058). You must
                                submit a Production Allocation
                                Schedule Report, Form MMS-
                                4058, for each calendar month
                                * * * MMS must receive your
                                Form MMS-4058 * * *
                                Electronically * * * Other
                                than electronically * * *.
------------------------------

[[Page 19577]]

 
216.57.......................  Operators who have been granted    Burden covered under OMB Control Number 1010-
                                a reduced royalty rate(s) by                          0090.
                                BLM must submit a Stripper
                                Royalty Rate Reduction
                                Notification (Form MMS-4377)
                                to MMS * * *
                                                               -------------------
      Total..................  ...............................  ................         310,400          76,630
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    Estimated Annual Reporting and Recordkeeping ``Non-hour Cost'' 
Burden: We have identified no ``non-hour'' cost burdens.
    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 recordkeepers 
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: April 16, 2003.
Cathy J. Hamilton,
Acting Associate Director for Minerals Revenue Management.
[FR Doc. 03-9784 Filed 4-18-03; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4310-MR-P