[Federal Register Volume 76, Number 166 (Friday, August 26, 2011)]
[Notices]
[Pages 53487-53489]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2011-21911]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Office of Natural Resources Revenue

[Docket No. ONRR-2011-0019]


Agency Information Collection Activities: Proposed Collection, 
Comment Request

AGENCY: Office of Natural Resources Revenue, Interior.

ACTION: Notice of an extension of a currently approved information 
collection.

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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) concerns the paperwork requirements in the 
regulations under the Chief Financial Officers Act of 1990 (CFO).

DATES: Submit written comments on or before October 25, 2011.

ADDRESSES: You may submit comments to ONRR by any of the following

[[Page 53488]]

methods. Please use ``ICR 1012-0001'' as an identifier in your comment.
     Electronically go to http://www.regulations.gov. In the 
entry titled ``Enter Keyword or ID,'' enter ONRR-2011-0019, 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 61013C, Denver, 
Colorado 80225. Please reference ICR 1012-0001 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 1012-0001 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: Accounts Receivable Confirmations.
    OMB Control Number: 1012-0001.
    Bureau Form Number: None.
    Abstract: The Secretary of the U.S. Department of the Interior is 
responsible for mineral resource development on Federal and Indian 
lands and the Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) under the following laws: 
The Mineral Leasing Act of 1920 (30 U.S.C. 1923), the Indian Mineral 
Development of 1982 (Pub. L. 97-382--Dec. 22, 1982); and the Outer 
Continental Shelf Lands Act (43 U.S.C. 1353). The Secretary is 
responsible for managing the production of minerals from Federal and 
Indian lands and the OCS, collecting royalties and other mineral 
revenues from lessees who produce minerals, and distributing the funds 
collected in accordance with applicable laws. The Secretary has a trust 
responsibility to manage Indian lands and seek advice and information 
from Indian beneficiaries. The ONRR performs the minerals revenue 
management functions 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.
    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 of such 
minerals. The information ONRR collects includes data necessary to 
ensure that the royalties are accurately valued and appropriately paid.
    Companies submit financial information monthly to ONRR on Form 
ONRR-2014, Report of Sales and Royalty Remittance (OMB Control Number 
1012-0004) and on Form ONRR-4430, Solid Minerals Production and Royalty 
Report (OMB Control Number 1012-0010).
    Every year, under CFO, the Department's Office of Inspector 
General, or its agent (agent), audits the Department's financial 
statements. The Department's goal is to receive an unqualified opinion. 
Accounts receivable confirmations are a common practice in the audit 
business. Due to continuously increasing scrutiny on financial audits, 
third-party confirmation on the validity of ONRR's financial records is 
necessary.
    As part of CFO audit requirements, the agent selects royalty payors 
at random and provides the companies' names and addresses to ONRR. We 
mail the letters to the payors, instructing them to respond directly to 
the agent to confirm the accuracy and/or validity of selected royalty 
receivable items and amounts. In order to meet CFO requirements, the 
letters must be on ONRR letterhead and signed by the Deputy Director 
for Office of Natural Resources Revenue. Third-party confirmation 
responses are requested by a specified date, confirming that ONRR's 
accounts receivable records agree with royalty payor records, for the 
following items: Customer identification; royalty/invoice number; 
payor-assigned document number; date received; original amount 
reported; and remaining balance due to ONRR, as of a specified date. 
Verifying the amounts reported and the balances due requires time for 
research and analysis by payors.
    Frequency: Annually.
    Estimated Number and Description of Respondents: 48 Federal and 
Indian oil and gas and solid mineral royalty payors.
    Estimated Annual Reporting and Recordkeeping ``Hour'' Burden: 12 
hours. We estimate that each response will take 15 minutes for payors 
to complete.
    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 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. 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.

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    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.
    Public Comment Policy: 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 review 
your personal identifying information, we cannot guarantee that we will 
be able to do so.
    ONRR Information Collection Clearance Officer: Armand Southall 
(303) 231-3221.

    Dated: August 23, 2011.
Gregory J. Gould,
Director for Office of Natural Resources Revenue.
[FR Doc. 2011-21911 Filed 8-25-11; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4310-MR-P