[Federal Register Volume 79, Number 173 (Monday, September 8, 2014)]
[Notices]
[Pages 53211-53213]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2014-21296]



[[Page 53211]]

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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Bureau of Ocean Energy Management

[OMB Number 1010-0082; MMAA104000]


Information Collection: Leasing of Minerals Other Than Oil, Gas, 
and Sulphur in the Outer Continental Shelf; Submitted for OMB Review; 
Comment Request

ACTION: 30-day notice.

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SUMMARY: To comply with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (PRA), the 
Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) is notifying the public that 
we have submitted an information collection request (ICR) to the Office 
of Management and Budget (OMB) for review and approval. The ICR 
concerns the paperwork requirements in the regulations under 30 CFR 
part 581, Leasing of Minerals Other than Oil, Gas, and Sulphur in the 
Outer Continental Shelf. This notice provides the public a second 
opportunity to comment on the paperwork burden of this collection.

DATES: Submit written comments by October 8, 2014.

ADDRESSES: Submit comments on this ICR to the Desk Officer for the 
Department of the Interior at OMB-OIRA at (202) 395-5806 (fax) or 
[email protected] (email). Please provide a copy of 
your comments to the BOEM Information Collection Clearance Officer, 
Arlene Bajusz, Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, 381 Elden Street, HM-
3127, Herndon, Virginia 20170 (mail) or [email protected] (email). 
Please reference ICR 1010-0082 in your comment and include your name 
and return address.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Arlene Bajusz, Office of Policy, 
Regulations, and Analysis at [email protected] (email) or (703) 
787-1025 (phone). You may review the ICR online at http://www.reginfo.gov. Follow the instructions to review Department of the 
Interior collections under review by OMB.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 
    OMB Control Number: 1010-0082.
    Title: 30 CFR part 581, Leasing of Minerals Other than Oil, Gas, 
and Sulphur in the Outer Continental Shelf.
    Abstract: The Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) Lands Act (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. This applies to any area of the OCS 
not then under lease for such mineral upon royalty, rental, and other 
terms and conditions that the Secretary may prescribe at the time of 
the lease offer. The Secretary is to administer the leasing provisions 
of the Act and prescribe the rules and regulations necessary to carry 
out those provisions.
    Regulations at 30 CFR part 581 implement these statutory 
requirements. There has been no leasing activity in the OCS for 
minerals other than oil, gas, or sulphur for many years; however, 
because these are regulatory requirements, the potential exists for 
information to be collected. Therefore, we are renewing OMB approval 
for this information collection.
    BOEM will use the information required by 30 CFR part 581 to 
determine if statutory requirements are met prior to the issuance of a 
lease. Specifically, BOEM will use the information to:
     Evaluate the area and minerals requested by the lessee to 
assess the viability of offering leases for sale and ensure the Federal 
Government receives fair market value for the mineral(s);
     Request the State(s) to initiate the establishment of a 
joint group to assess the proposed action;
     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; and
     Determine if activities on the proposed lease area(s) will 
have a significant impact on the environment.
    We protect proprietary information according to the Freedom of 
Information Act (5 U.S.C. 552) and its implementing regulations (43 CFR 
part 2), and 30 CFR Parts 580 and 582. No items of a sensitive nature 
are collected. Responses are mandatory or required to obtain a benefit.
    Frequency: On occasion.
    Description of Respondents: As there are no active respondents, we 
estimate the potential annual number of respondents to be one. 
Potential respondents are OCS lease requestors, State governments, and 
OCS lessees.
    Estimated Reporting and Recordkeeping Hour Burden: We expect the 
annual reporting burden for this renewal to be 1,264 hours. The 
following table details the individual components and respective hour 
burden estimates of this ICR. 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.

                                                Burden Breakdown
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                                          Non-hour cost burden(s) *
                                       Reporting and/or     ----------------------------------------------------
     Citation 30 CFR Part 581            recordkeeping                        Average number of    Annual burden
                                        requirements *         Hour burden     annual reponses         hours
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                               Subpart A--General
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
6................................  Appeal decisions........    Exempt under 5 CFR 1320.4(a)(2),                0
                                                                             (c).
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
9................................  Governor of affected                  16  1 request..........              16
                                    States initiates
                                    negotiations on
                                    jurisdictional
                                    controversy, etc., and
                                    enters agreement with
                                    BOEM.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
    Subtotal.....................  ........................  ..............  1 Response.........              16
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                          Subpart B--Leasing Procedures
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
11(a), (c).......................  Submit request for                    60  1 request..........              60
                                    approval for mineral
                                    lease with required
                                    information.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

[[Page 53212]]

 
12; all sections; Previously       Submit general response    Not considered IC as defined in 5                0
 overlooked.                        to Call for Information           CFR 1320.3(h)(4).
                                    and Interest on areas
                                    for leasing of minerals
                                    (other than oil, gas,
                                    sulphur) in accordance
                                    with approved lease
                                    program, including
                                    information from States/
                                    local governments,
                                    industry, Federal
                                    agencies.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
12; all sections.................  Submit specific response             120  1 response.........             120
                                    to Call for Information
                                    and Interest on areas
                                    for leasing of minerals
                                    (other than oil, gas,
                                    sulphur) in accordance
                                    with approved lease
                                    program, including
                                    information from States/
                                    local governments,
                                    industry, Federal
                                    agencies.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
13; 16...........................  States or local                      200  1 comment..........             200
                                    governments establish
                                    task force; submit
                                    comments/
                                    recommendations on
                                    planning, coordination,
                                    consultation, and other
                                    issues that may
                                    contribute to the
                                    leasing process.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
All sections; 16.................  Submit suggestions and               160  1 submittal........             160
                                    relevant information in
                                    response to request for
                                    comments on the
                                    proposed leasing
                                    notice, including
                                    information from States/
                                    local governments.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
18; 20(e), (f); 26(a), (b).......  Submit bids (oral or                 250  1 response.........             250
                                    sealed) and required
                                    information.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
18(b)(3), (c); 20(e), (f)........  Tie bids--submit oral                 20  1 response.........              20
                                    bids for highest bidder.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
20(a), (b), (c); 41(a)...........  Establish a company file              58  1 response.........              58
                                    for qualification,
                                    submit updated
                                    information, submit
                                    qualifications for
                                    lessee/bidder and
                                    required information.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
21(a); 47(c).....................  Request for                   Not considered IC per 5 CFR                   0
                                    reconsideration of bid              1320.3(h)(9).
                                    rejection/cancellation.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
21(b), (e); 23; 26(e), (i);        Execute lease (includes              100  1 lease............             100
 40(b); 41.                         submission of evidence
                                    of authorized agent and
                                    request for dating of
                                    leases); maintain
                                    auditable records re 30
                                    CFR Chapter XII,
                                    Subchapter A--[burden
                                    under ONRR
                                    requirements].
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
    Subtotal.....................  ........................  ..............  8 Responses........             968
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                       Subpart C--Financial Considerations
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
31(b); 41........................  File application and                 160  1 application......             160
                                    required information
                                    for assignment or
                                    transfer for approval.
                                                            ----------------------------------------------------
                                                               $50 for required or non-required filing document
                                                                                fee x 1 = $50.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
32(b), (c).......................  File application for                  80  1 application......              80
                                    waiver, suspension, or
                                    reduction and required
                                    documentation.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
33; 41(c)........................  Submit surety or            Burden covered under 1010-0081.                 0
                                    personal bond.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
    Subtotal.....................  ........................  ..............  2 Responses........             240
                                                                            ------------------------------------
                                                                                  $50 Non-hour cost burden.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                        Subpart E--Termination of Leases
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
46...............................  File written request for              40  1 Response.........              40
                                    relinquishment.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
    TOTAL BURDEN.................  ........................  ..............  12 Responses.......           1,264
                                                                            ------------------------------------
                                                                                  $50 Non-hour cost burden.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
* In the future, BOEM may require electronic filing of certain submissions.

    Estimated Reporting and Recordkeeping ``Non-Hour Cost'' Burden: We 
have identified one non-hour cost burden for this collection, a $50 
filing fee for required or non-

[[Page 53213]]

required documents under 30 CFR 581.41.
    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: We invite comments concerning this information collection 
on:
     Whether or not the collection of information is necessary, 
including whether or not the information will have practical utility;
     The accuracy of our burden estimates;
     Ways to enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of the 
information to be collected; and
     Ways to minimize the burden on respondents.
    To comply with the public consultation process, on April 17, 2014, 
BOEM published a Federal Register notice (79 FR 21806) announcing that 
we would submit this ICR to OMB for approval. This notice provided the 
required 60-day comment period. We received no comments.
    Public Availability of Comments: Before including your address, 
phone number, email 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.

    Dated: August 14, 2014.
Deanna Meyer-Pietruszka,
Chief, Office of Policy, Regulations, and Analysis.
[FR Doc. 2014-21296 Filed 9-5-14; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4310-MR-P