[Federal Register Volume 76, Number 161 (Friday, August 19, 2011)]
[Notices]
[Pages 52006-52008]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2011-21166]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, Regulation and Enforcement

[Docket ID No. BOEM-2011-0017]


Information Collection Activity: Leasing of Minerals Other Than 
Oil, Gas and Sulphur in the Outer Continental Shelf, Extension of a 
Collection; Submitted for Office of Management and Budget (OMB) Review; 
Comment Request

AGENCY: Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, Regulation and Enforcement 
(BOEMRE), Interior.

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: To comply with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (PRA), we 
are notifying the public that we have submitted to OMB an information 
collection request (ICR) to renew approval of the paperwork 
requirements in the regulations under Leasing of Minerals Other than 
Oil, Gas and Sulphur in the Outer Continental Shelf (OMB No. 1010-
0082). This notice also provides the public a second opportunity to 
comment on the paperwork burden of these regulatory requirements.

DATES: Submit written comments by September 19, 2011.

ADDRESSES: Submit comments by either fax (202) 395-5806 or e-mail 
([email protected]) directly to the Office of Information and 
Regulatory Affairs, OMB, Attention: Desk Officer for the Department of 
the Interior (1010-0082). Please also submit a copy of your comments to 
BOEMRE by any of the means below.
     Electronically: go to http://www.regulations.gov. In the 
entry titled, ``Enter Keyword or ID,'' enter BOEM-2011-0017 then click 
search. Follow the instructions to submit public comments and view 
supporting and related materials available for this collection. BOEMRE 
will post all comments.
     E-mail [email protected]. Mail or hand-carry 
comments to: Department of the Interior; Bureau of Ocean Energy 
Management, Regulation and Enforcement; Attention: Cheryl Blundon; 381 
Elden Street, MS-4024; Herndon, Virginia 20170-4817. Please reference 
ICR 1010-0082 in your comment and include your name and return address.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Cheryl Blundon, Regulations and 
Standards Branch, (703) 787-1607. To see a copy of the entire ICR 
submitted to OMB, go to http://www.reginfo.gov (select Information 
Collection Review, Currently Under Review). You may also contact Cheryl 
Blundon to obtain a copy, at no cost, of the regulation that requires 
the subject collection of information.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 
    Title: 30 CFR part 281, Leasing of Minerals Other than Oil, Gas, 
and Sulphur in the Outer Continental Shelf.
    OMB Control Number: 1010-0082.
    Abstract: Section 8(k) of the Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) Lands 
Act, as amended (43 U.S.C. 1337), authorizes the Secretary of the 
Interior (Secretary) to grant to the qualified persons, offering the 
highest cash bonuses on a basis of competitive bidding, leases of any 
mineral other than oil, gas, and sulphur in any area of the OCS not 
then under lease for such mineral upon such royalty, rental, and other 
terms and conditions as the Secretary may prescribe at the time of 
offering the area for lease. The Secretary is to administer the leasing 
provisions of the Act and prescribe the rule and regulations necessary 
to carry out those provisions.

[[Page 52007]]

    Regulations implementing these responsibilities are under 30 CFR 
part 281. Responses are mandatory or required to obtain or retain a 
benefit. No questions of a sensitive nature are asked. The MMS protects 
information considered proprietary according to the Freedom of 
Information Act (5 U.S.C. 552) and its implementing regulations (43 CFR 
part 2, and 30 CFR parts 280 and 282).
    BOEMRE uses the information required by 30 CFR part 281 to 
determine if statutory requirements are met prior to the issuance of a 
lease. Specifically, BOEMRE would use the information to:
     Evaluate the mineral(s) deposits requested by the lessee 
to ensure that the Federal government receives fair market value for 
the mineral(s) leased.
     Request the State(s) to initiate the establishment of a 
joint working group or task force to assess the proposed action and 
provide input.
     Ensure excessive overriding royalty interests are not 
created that would put economic constraints on all parties involved.
     Document that a leasehold or geographical subdivision has 
been surrendered by the record title holder.
     Determine if activities on the proposed lease area (s) 
will have significant impact on the environment.
    There has been no activity in the OCS for minerals other than oil, 
gas and sulphur for many years. However, because these are regulatory 
requirements, the potential exists for information to be collected.
    Frequency: On occasion.
    Description of Respondents: There are no active respondents; 
therefore, we estimated the potential annual number of respondents to 
be one.
    Estimated Reporting and Recordkeeping Hour Burden: The estimated 
annual hour burden for this information collection is a total of 1,248 
hours. The following chart details the individual components and 
estimated hour burdens. In calculating the burdens, we assumed that 
respondents perform certain requirements in the normal course of their 
activities. We consider these to be usual and customary and took that 
into account in estimating the burden.

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                                                                                                                         Average Number
             Citation 30 CFR 281                     Reporting and/or recordkeeping requirements          Hour burden       of annual     Annual  burden
                                                                                                                            reponses           hours
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                                                                                                                     Non-Hour Cost Burden(s)
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                                                                   Subpart A--General
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6...........................................  Appeal decisions........................................  Exempt under 5 CFR 1320.4(a)(2),               0
                                                                                                        (c).
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                                                              Subpart B--Leasing Procedures
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11(a), (c)..................................  Request approval for mineral lease with relevant                      60                 1              60
                                               information.
All sections................................  Submit response to Call for Information and Interest on              120                 1             120
                                               areas for leasing of minerals (other than oil, gas,
                                               sulphur) in accordance with approved lease program,
                                               including information from States/local governments.
13..........................................  States or local governments submit comments/                         200                 1             200
                                               recommendations on planning, coordination,
                                               consultation, and other issues that may contribute to
                                               the leasing process.
All sections................................  Submit suggestions and relevant information in response              160                 1             160
                                               to request for comments on proposed lease including
                                               information from States/local governments.
18(a), (b), (c); 20 (e), (f); 26(a).........  Submit bids (oral or sealed) and required information...             250                 1             250
18(c); 20 (e), (f)..........................  Tie bids--submit oral bids for highest bidder...........              20                 1              20
20(a), (b), (c); 41(a)......................  Establish a Company File for qualification; submit                    58                 1              58
                                               updated information, submit qualifications for lessee/
                                               bidder.
21(a); 47(c)................................  Request for reconsideration of bid rejection/             Requirement not considered IC                  0
                                               cancellation.                                            per 5 CFR 1320.3(h)(9).
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                                                       Subtotal                                                              7 Responses       868 Hours
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                                                           Subpart C--Financial Considerations
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26; 21(b), (e); 40(b); 41(b)................  Execute lease (includes submission of evidence of                    100                 1             100
                                               authorized agent and request for dating of leases).
31(b); 41...................................  File application and required information for assignment             160                 1             160
                                               or transfer for approval.
                                                                                                        $50 required or non-required filing document fee
                                                                                                                            x 1 = $50
32(b), (c)..................................  File application for waiver, suspension, or reduction                 80                 1              80
                                               and supporting documentation.
33; 41(c)...................................  Submit surety or personal bond..........................  Burden covered under 1010-0081.                0
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                                                       Subtotal                                                              3 Responses       340 Hours
                                             -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                                      $50 Non-Hour Cost Burden
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                                                            Subpart E--Termination of Leases
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46(a).......................................  File written request for relinquishment.................              40        1 Response        40 Hours
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[[Page 52008]]

 
                                                     TOTAL BURDEN                                                           11 Responses     1,248 Hours
                                             -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                                      $50 Non-Hour Cost Burden
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    Estimated Reporting and Recordkeeping Non-Hour Cost Burden: We have 
identified one non-hour cost burden. In Sec.  281.41, respondents would 
pay a $50 application fee for any instrument to be filed (see burden 
table). We have identified no other non-hour cost burdens for this 
collection of information.
    Public Disclosure Statement: The PRA (44 U.S.C. 3501, et seq.) 
provides that an agency may not conduct or sponsor a collection of 
information unless it displays a currently valid OMB control number. 
Until OMB approves a collection of information, you are not obligated 
to respond.
    Comments: Section 3506(c)(2)(A) of the PRA (44 U.S.C. 3501, et 
seq.) 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.
    To comply with the public consultation process, on April 15, 2011, 
we published a Federal Register notice (76 FR 21393) announcing that we 
would submit this ICR to OMB for approval. The notice provided the 
required 60-day comment period. In addition, Sec.  282.0 provides the 
OMB control number for the information collection requirements imposed 
by the 30 CFR 282 regulations. The PRA (5 U.S.C. 1320) informs the 
public that they may comment at any time on the collections of 
information and BOEMRE provides the address to which they should send 
comments. We have received one comment in response to this effort and 
it was not germane to the paperwork burden.
    If you wish to comment in response to this notice, you may send 
your comments to the offices listed under the ADDRESSES section of this 
notice. The OMB has up to 60 days to approve or disapprove the 
information collection but may respond after 30 days. Therefore, to 
ensure maximum consideration, OMB should receive public comments by 
September 19, 2011.
    Public Availability of Comments: Before including your address, 
phone number, e-mail address, or other personal identifying information 
in your comment, you should be aware 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 
your personal identifying information from public review, we cannot 
guarantee that we will be able to do so.
    BOEMRE Information Collection Clearance Officer: Arlene Bajusz 
(703) 787-1025.

    Dated: July 26, 2011.
David Moore,
Acting Chief, Office of Offshore Regulatory Programs.
[FR Doc. 2011-21166 Filed 8-18-11; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4310-MR-P