[Federal Register Volume 71, Number 43 (Monday, March 6, 2006)]
[Notices]
[Pages 11221-11222]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 06-2066]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Bureau of Land Management

[WO-320-1320-PB-24 1A]


Extension of Approved Information Collection, OMB Control 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 May 5, 2006. 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) 452-0360 (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 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 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 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 25,585 hours. We estimate the number of responses per year is 
1,289. 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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                                                                     Hours per       Number of
               Type of Application                    43 CFR         response        responses      Total hours
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Application for an exploration license..........        3410.2-1              36              10             360
Issuance and termination of an exploration              3410.3-1              12               5              60
 license........................................
Operations under and modification of an                 3410.3-3               1               1               1
 exploration license............................
Collection and submission of data from an                 3410.4              18               5              90
 exploration license............................
Call for coal resource and other resource info..        3420.1-2               3               0               0
Surface owner consultation......................        3420.1-4               1               7               7
Expressions of leasing interest.................        3420.3-2               7               0               0
Response to notice of sale......................          3422.2              56               8             448
Consultation with Attorney General..............        3422.3-4               4               7              28

[[Page 11222]]

 
Leasing on application..........................            3425             308              15           4,620
Surface owner consent...........................       3427.2(c)               1               7               7
Preference right lease application..............       3430.3-1,             800               3           2,400
                                                        3430.4-1
Lease modifications.............................          3432.1              12               5              60
License to mine.................................            3440              21               2              42
Relinquishments.................................       3452.1-1,              18              30             540
                                                        3452.1-2
Transfers, assignments, subleases...............        3453.2-1              10              43             430
Bonds...........................................       3410.3-4,               8             196           1,568
                                                       3453.2-4,
                                                  3474.1, 3474.2
Land description requirements...................        3471.1-1               2              15              30
Future interest lease application...............          3471.4              16               0               0
Special leasing qualifications..................        3472.1-2               3               4              12
Qualification statement.........................          3472.2               3               4              12
Lease rental and royalty rate reductions........        3473.3-4              13               9             117
Lease suspensions...............................  3473.4, 3483.3              20               7             140
Lease form......................................          3475.1               1              12              12
Logical mining units............................         3475.6,             170               5             850
                                                    3481.2, 3487
General obligations of the operator/lessee......          3481.1               1               1               1
Exploration plans...............................       3482.1(a)              30              11             330
Resource recovery and protection plan...........       3482.1(b)             192               4             768
Modifications to exploration plans and resource           3482.2              16              79           1,264
 recovery and protection plans..................
Mining operations maps..........................          3482.3              20             311           6,220
Request for payment of advance royalty in lieu            3483.4              22              12             264
 of continued operation.........................
Performance standards for exploration (Retention       3484.1(a)               1              22              22
 of samples)....................................
Performance standards for surface and                  3484.1(b)               1               6               6
 underground coal mines.........................
Exploration reports.............................      3485.1(a),               4               7              28
                                                      3485.1(b),
                                                       3485.1(c)
Production reports..............................      3485.1(d),              10             323           3,230
                                                          3485.3
Notices and orders..............................          3486.2               3               1               3
Enforcement.....................................          3486.3               2               8              16
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    Any member of the public may request and obtain, without charge, a 
copy of the BLM Forms 3400-12 and 3440-1 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 be a matter of a public 
record.

    Dated: February 28, 2006
Ted R. Hudson,
Bureau of Land Management, Information Collection Clearance Officer.
[FR Doc. 06-2066 Filed 3-3-06; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4310-84-M