[Federal Register Volume 69, Number 18 (Wednesday, January 28, 2004)]
[Notices]
[Page 4176]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 04-1781]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement


Notice of Proposed Information Collection for 1029-0080 and 1029-
0089

AGENCY: Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement, Interior.

ACTION: Notice and request for comments.

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SUMMARY: In compliance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, the 
Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement (OSM) is 
announcing that the information collection requests for 30 CFR Part 
702, Exemption for Coal Extraction Incidental to the Extraction of 
Other Minerals; and 30 CFR Part 850, Permanent Regulatory Program 
Requirements--Standards for Certification of Blasters, have been 
forwarded to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for review and 
comment. The information collection requests describe the nature of the 
information collections and their expected burden and cost.

DATES: OMB has up to 60 days to approve or disapprove the information 
collection but may respond after 30 days. Therefore, public comments 
should be submitted to OMB by February 27, 2004, in order to be assured 
of consideration.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: To request a copy of either 
information collection request, explanatory information and related 
form, contact John A. Trelease at (202) 208-2783. You may also contact 
Mr. Trelease at [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: OMB regulations at 5 CFR 1320, which 
implement provisions of the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (Pub. L. 
104-13), require that interested members of the public and affected 
agencies have an opportunity to comment on information collection and 
recordkeeping activities [see 5 CFR 1320.8(d)]. OSM has submitted two 
requests to OMB to renew its approval for the collections of 
information found at 30 CFR parts 702 and 850. OSM is requesting a 3-
year term of approval for these information collection activities.
    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. The OMB control numbers for these 
collections of information are 1029-0089 for part 702 and 1029-0080 for 
part 850, and may be found in OSM's regulations at 702.10 and 850.10.
    As required under 5 CFR 1320.8(d), Federal Register notices 
soliciting comments on these collections of information was published 
on October 30, 2003 (68 FR 61828). No comments were received. This 
notice provides the public with an additional 30 days in which to 
comment on the following information collection activities:
    Title: Exemption for Coal Extraction Incidental to the Extraction 
of Other Minerals, 30 CFR Part 702.
    OMB Control Number: 1029-0089.
    Summary: This part implements the requirement in section 701(28) of 
the Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act of 1977 (SMCRA), which 
grants an exemption from the requirements of SMCRA to operators 
extracting not more than 16\2/3\ percentage tonnage of coal incidental 
to the extraction of other minerals. This information will be used by 
the regulatory authorities to make that determination.
    Bureau Form Number: None.
    Frequency of Collection: Once and annually thereafter.
    Description of Respondents: Producers of coal and other minerals 
and the State regulatory authorities.
    Total Annual Responses: 90.
    Total Annual Burden Hours: 581.

    Title: Permanent regulatory program requirements--standards for 
certification of blasters, 30 CFR 850.
    OMB Control Number: 1029-0080.
    Summary: This part establishes the requirements and procedures 
applicable to the development of regulatory programs for the training, 
examination, and certification of persons engaging in or directly 
responsible for the use of explosives in surface coal mining 
operations.
    Bureau Form Number: None.
    Frequency of Collection: Once.
    Description of Respondents: State regulatory authorities.
    Total Annual Responses: 1.
    Total Annual Burden Hours: 173.
    Send comments on the need for the collections of information for 
the performance of the functions of the agency; the accuracy of the 
agency's burden estimates; ways to enhance the quality, utility and 
clarity of the information collections; and ways to minimize the 
information collection burden on respondents, such as use of automated 
means of collection of the information, to the following address. 
Please refer to the appropriate OMB control number in all 
correspondence.

ADDRESSES: Submit comments to the Office of Information and Regulatory 
Affairs, Office of Management and Budget, Attention: Department of 
Interior Desk Officer, by telefax at (202) 395-6566 or via e-mail to 
[email protected]. Also, please send a copy of your comments to 
John A. Trelease, Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement, 
1951 Constitution Ave, NW., Room 210-SIB, Washington, DC 20240, or 
electronically to [email protected].

    Dated: January 6, 2004.
Sarah E. Donnelly,
Acting Chief, Division of Regulatory Support.
[FR Doc. 04-1781 Filed 1-27-04; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4310-05-M