[Federal Register Volume 76, Number 86 (Wednesday, May 4, 2011)]
[Notices]
[Pages 25370-25373]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2011-10906]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Office of Natural Resources Revenue

[Docket No. ONRR-2011-0009]


Agency Information Collection Activities: Proposed Collection, 
Comment Request

AGENCY: Office of Natural Resources Revenue (ONRR), Interior.

ACTION: Notice of an extension of a currently approved information 
collection (OMB Control Number 1012-0008).

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SUMMARY: To comply with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (PRA), the 
Office of Natural Resources Revenue (ONRR) is inviting comments on a 
collection of information that we will submit to the Office of 
Management and Budget (OMB) for review and approval. This information 
collection request (ICR) was formerly approved under OMB Control Number 
1010-0107.

[[Page 25371]]

However, OMB approved a new series number and renumbered our ICRs after 
the Secretary of the Interior established ONRR (the former Minerals 
Revenue Management, a program under the Minerals Management Service) by 
Secretarial Order 3299, which was effective October 1, 2010. Also ONRR 
published a rule, effective October 1, 2010, transferring our 
regulations from chapter II to chapter XII in title 30 of the Code of 
Federal Regulations (CFR. This ICR covers the paperwork requirements in 
the regulations under 30 CFR part 1218 (previously 30 CFR part 218).

DATES: Submit written comments on or before July 5, 2011.

ADDRESSES: You may submit comments on this ICR by any of the following 
methods. Please use ``ICR 1012-0008'' as an identifier in your comment.
     Electronically go to http://www.regulations.gov. In the 
entry titled ``Enter Keyword or ID,'' enter ONRR-2011-0009, and then 
click search. Follow the instructions to submit public comments. The 
ONRR will post all comments.
     Mail comments to Hyla Hurst, Regulatory Specialist, Office 
of Natural Resources Revenue, P.O. Box 25165, MS 61013B, Denver, 
Colorado 80225. Please reference ICR 1012-0008 in your comments.
     Hand-carry comments or use an overnight courier service. 
Our courier address is Building 85, Room A-614, Denver Federal Center, 
West 6th Ave. and Kipling St., Denver, Colorado 80225. Please reference 
ICR 1012-0008 in your comments.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Hyla Hurst, telephone (303) 231-3495, 
or e-mail [email protected]. You may also contact Hyla Hurst to 
obtain copies, at no cost, of (1) the ICR, (2) any associated forms, 
and (3) the regulations that require the subject collection of 
information.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
    Title: 30 CFR Part 1218, Collection of Monies Due the Federal 
Government.
    OMB Control Number: 1012-0008.
    Bureau Form Number: Form ONRR-4425.

    Note:  This form is still listed as Form MMS-4425 in the 
regulations. As ONRR completes the transition to the new 
organization, we will publish a rule updating our form numbers in 
the CFR.

    Abstract: The Secretary of the Interior is responsible for mineral 
resource development on Federal and Indian lands and the Outer 
Continental Shelf (OCS). The Secretary is required by various laws to 
manage mineral resource production from Federal and Indian lands and 
the OCS, collect the royalties and other mineral revenues due, and 
distribute the funds collected in accordance with applicable laws. The 
Secretary also has a trust responsibility to manage Indian lands and 
seek advice and information from Indian beneficiaries. The ONRR 
performs the mineral revenue management functions for the Secretary and 
assists the Secretary in carrying out the Department's trust 
responsibility for Indian lands. Public laws pertaining to mineral 
revenues are on our Web site at http://www.onrr.gov/Laws_R_D/PublicLawsAMR.htm.
    Minerals produced from Federal and Indian leases vary greatly in 
the nature of occurrence, production, and processing methods. When a 
company or an individual enters into a lease to explore, develop, 
produce, and dispose of minerals from Federal or Indian lands, that 
company or individual agrees to pay the lessor a share in an amount or 
value of production from the leased lands. The lessee is required to 
report various kinds of information to the lessor relative to the 
disposition of the leased minerals. Such information is generally 
available within the records of the lessee or others involved in 
developing, transporting, processing, purchasing, or selling such 
minerals. The information collected includes data necessary to ensure 
that production is accurately valued and royalties are appropriately 
paid.
    This ICR covers unique reporting circumstances including (1) cross-
lease netting in calculation of late-payment interest; (2) designation 
of designee; and (3) and Tribal permission for recoupment on Indian oil 
and gas leases.

Cross-Lease Netting in Calculation of Late-Payment Interest

    Regulations at Sec.  1218.54 require ONRR to assess interest on 
unpaid or underpaid amounts. The ONRR distributes these interest 
revenues to states, Indian Tribes, and the U.S. Treasury, based on 
financial lease distribution information. Current regulations at Sec.  
1218.42 provide that an overpayment on a lease or leases may be offset 
against an underpayment on a different lease or leases to determine the 
net payment subject to interest, when certain conditions are met. This 
is called cross-lease netting. However, sections 6(a), (b), and (c) of 
the Royalty Simplification and Fairness Act (RSFA) require ONRR to pay 
interest on lessees' Federal oil and gas overpayments made on or after 
February 13, 1997 (6 months after the August 13, 1996, enactment of 
RSFA). The ONRR implemented this RSFA provision in 1997 and began 
calculating interest on both underpayments and overpayments for Federal 
oil and gas leases, making the cross-lease netting provisions at Sec.  
1218.42 no longer applicable for these leases. The ONRR estimates that, 
in about seven cases per year, lessees must comply with the provisions 
of Sec.  1218.42(b) and (c) for Indian Tribal leases or Federal leases 
other than oil and gas, demonstrating that cross-lease netting is 
correct by submitting production reports, pipeline allocation reports, 
or other similar documentary evidence. This information is necessary 
for ONRR to determine the correct amount of interest owed by the lessee 
and to ensure that proper value is collected.

Designation of Designee

    The RSFA established that lessees (owners, primarily, of operating 
rights, or secondarily, lease record title) are responsible for making 
royalty and related payments on Federal oil and gas leases. These RSFA 
requirements are codified at Sec.  1218.52. It is common, however, for 
a payor rather than a lessee to make these payments. When a payor makes 
payments on behalf of a lessee, RSFA section 6(g) requires that the 
lessee designate the payor as its designee and notify ONRR of this 
arrangement in writing. Form ONRR-4425, Designation Form for Royalty 
Payment Responsibility (formerly Form MMS-4425), was designed to 
request all the information necessary for lessees to comply with these 
RSFA requirements when they choose to designate an agent to pay for 
them.

Tribal Permission for Recoupment on Indian Oil and Gas Leases

    Regulations at Sec.  1218.53(b) allow lessees with written 
permission from the Tribe to recoup overpayments on one lease against a 
different lease for which the Tribe is the lessor. The payor must 
provide ONRR with a copy of the Tribe's written permission. Generally, 
a payor may recoup an overpayment against the current month's royalties 
or other revenues owed on the same Tribal lease. For any month, a payor 
may not recoup more than 50 percent of the royalties or other revenues 
owed in that month, under an individual allotted lease, or more than 
100 percent of the royalties or other revenues owed in that month, 
under a Tribal lease. Lessees report oil and gas lease recoupments on 
Form MMS-2014, Report of Sales and Royalty Remittance (which will be 
renumbered as Form ONRR-2014, as we complete the process of updating 
our forms and the regulations). The burden

[[Page 25372]]

hours are covered under ICR 1012-0004, formerly ICR 1010-0139.

Request to OMB

    We are requesting OMB's approval to continue to collect this 
information. Not collecting this information would limit the 
Secretary's ability to discharge the duties of the office and may also 
result in loss of royalty payments. Proprietary information submitted 
is protected, and there are no questions of a sensitive nature included 
in this information collection.
    Frequency: On occasion.
    Estimated Number and Description of Respondents: 1,630 Federal and 
Indian lessees.
    Estimated Annual Reporting and Recordkeeping ``Hour'' Burden: 1,255 
hours.
    We have not included in our estimates certain requirements 
performed in the normal course of business and considered usual and 
customary. The following chart shows the estimated burden hours by CFR 
section and paragraph:

                                   Respondents' Estimated Annual Burden Hours
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                                                                                      Average
                                     Reporting and recordkeeping                     number of     Annual burden
     Citation 30 CFR part 1218               requirement            Hour burden       annual           hours
                                                                                     responses
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           Subpart A--General Provisions--Cross-lease netting in calculation of late-payment interest
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1218.42(b) and (c).................  Cross-lease netting in                    2              25              50
                                      calculation of late-
                                      payment interest. (b)
                                      Royalties attributed to
                                      production from a lease or
                                      leases which should have
                                      been attributed to
                                      production from a
                                      different lease or leases
                                      may be offset * * * if * *
                                      * the payor submits
                                      production reports,
                                      pipeline allocation
                                      reports, or other similar
                                      documentary evidence
                                      pertaining to the specific
                                      production involved which
                                      verifies the correct
                                      production information * *
                                      *.
                                     (c) If ONRR assesses late-   ..............  ..............  ..............
                                      payment interest and the
                                      payor asserts that some or
                                      all of the interest is not
                                      owed * * * the burden is
                                      on the payor to
                                      demonstrate that the
                                      exception applies * * *.
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                    Subpart B--Oil and Gas, General--How does a lessee designate a Designee?
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1218.52 (a), (c), and (d)..........  How does a lessee designate            0.72           1,600           1,200
                                      a Designee? (a) If you are
                                      a lessee under 30 U.S.C.
                                      1701(7), and you want to
                                      designate a person to make
                                      all or part of the
                                      payments due under a lease
                                      on your behalf * * * you
                                      must notify ONRR * * * in
                                      writing of such
                                      designation * * *.
                                     (c) If you want to           ..............  ..............  ..............
                                      terminate a designation *
                                      * * you must provide [the
                                      following] to ONRR in
                                      writing * * *.
                                     (d) ONRR may require you to  ..............  ..............  ..............
                                      provide notice when there
                                      is a change in the
                                      percentage of your record
                                      title or operating rights
                                      ownership.
                                     The ONRR currently uses      ..............  ..............  ..............
                                      Form MMS-4425, Designation
                                      Form for Royalty Payment
                                      Responsibility, to collect
                                      this information.
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              Subpart B--Oil and Gas, General--Recoupment of overpayments on Indian mineral leases
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1218.53(b).........................  Recoupment of overpayments                1               5               5
                                      on Indian mineral leases.
                                      (b) With written
                                      permission authorized by
                                      Tribal statute or
                                      resolution, a payor may
                                      recoup an overpayment
                                      against royalties or other
                                      revenues owed . . . under
                                      other leases * * *. A copy
                                      of the Tribe's written
                                      permission must be
                                      furnished to ONRR * * *.
                                                                 -----------------------------------------------
    Total Burden...................  ...........................  ..............           1,630           1,255
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    Estimated Annual Reporting and Recordkeeping ``Non-hour Cost'' 
Burden: We have identified no ``non-hour cost'' burden associated with 
the collection of information.
    Public Disclosure Statement: The PRA (44 U.S.C. 3501 et seq.) 
provides that 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.
    Comments: Before submitting an ICR to OMB, PRA section 
3506(c)(2)(A) requires each agency to ``* * * provide 60-day notice in 
the Federal Register * * * and otherwise consult with members of the 
public and affected agencies concerning each proposed collection of 
information * * *.'' Agencies must specifically solicit

[[Page 25373]]

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. 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, and 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. We also will post the ICR on our 
Web site at http://www.onrr.gov/Laws_R_D/FRNotices/ICR0107.htm.
    Public Comment Policy: We will post all comments, including names 
and addresses of respondents, at http://www.regulations.gov. Before 
including your address, phone number, e-mail address, or other personal 
identifying information in your comment, be advised that your entire 
comment--including your personal identifying information--may be made 
publicly available at any time. While you can ask us in your comment to 
withhold from public view your personal identifying information, we 
cannot guarantee that we will be able to do so.
    Information Collection Clearance Officer: Rachel Drucker (202) 208-
3568.

    Dated: April 28, 2011.
Gregory J. Gould,
Director, Office of Natural Resources Revenue.
[FR Doc. 2011-10906 Filed 5-3-11; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4310-MR-P