[Federal Register Volume 80, Number 27 (Tuesday, February 10, 2015)]
[Notices]
[Pages 7494-7495]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2015-02638]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Office of Natural Resources Revenue

[Docket No. ONRR-2011-0019; DS63610000 DR2PS0000.CH7000 156D0102R2]


Agency Information Collection Activities: Accounts Receivable 
Confirmations--OMB Control Number 1012-0001; Comment Request

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

ACTION: Notice of extension.

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SUMMARY: To comply with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (PRA), ONRR 
is inviting comments on a collection of information requests that we 
will submit to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for review and 
approval. This Information Collection Request (ICR) covers the 
paperwork requirements under the Chief Financial Officers Act of 1990 
(CFO).

DATES: Submit written comments on or before April 13, 2015.

ADDRESSES: You may submit comments on this ICR to ONRR by using one of 
the following three methods (please reference ``ICR 1012-0001'' in your 
comments):
    1. 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. ONRR 
will post all comments.
    2. Mail comments to Mr. Luis Aguilar, Regulatory Specialist, ONRR, 
P.O. Box 25165, MS 61030A, Denver, Colorado 80225-0165.
    3. Hand-carry or mail comments, using an overnight courier service, 
to ONRR. Our courier address is Building 85, Room A-614, Denver Federal 
Center, West 6th Ave. and Kipling St., Denver, Colorado 80225.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For questions on technical issues, 
contact Mr. Hans Meingast, Financial Management, MRM, ONRR, telephone 
(303) 231-3382 or email at [email protected]. For other questions, 
contact Mr. Luis Aguilar, telephone (303) 231-3418, or email at 
[email protected]. You may also contact Mr. Aguilar to obtain 
copies, at no cost, of (1) the ICR, (2) any associated form, and (3) 
the regulations that require us to collect the information.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

I. Abstract

    The Secretary of the United States Department of the Interior is 
responsible for collecting royalties from lessees who produce minerals 
from leased Federal and Indian lands and the Outer-Continental Shelf 
(OCS). The Secretary's responsibility, under various laws, is 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 under those laws. ONRR performs the royalty 
management functions for the Secretary.
    We have posted those laws pertaining to mineral leases on Federal 
and Indian lands and the OCS at http://www.onrr.gov/Laws_R_D/PubLaws/default.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 regulations require the 
lessee 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 we collect includes data necessary to ensure 
that lessees accurately value production and appropriately pay 
royalties.
    Companies submit financial information monthly to ONRR on Forms 
ONRR-2014, Report of Sales and Royalty Remittance (OMB Control Number 
1012-0004), and ONRR-4430, Solid Minerals Production and Royalty Report 
(OMB Control Number 1012-0010).
    Every year, under the Chief Financial Officer (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 of the validity 
of ONRR's financial records is necessary.
    As part of the CFO audit, the agent selects a sample of accounts 
receivable items and provides the sample items to ONRR. ONRR then 
identifies the company names and addresses for the sample items 
selected, and creates accounts receivable confirmation letters. In 
order to meet the CFO requirements, the letters must be on ONRR 
letterhead; and the Deputy Director for ONRR, or his or her designee, 
must sign the letters. The letter requests third-party confirmation 
responses by a specified date on whether or not ONRR's accounts 
receivable records agree with royalty payor records for the following 
items: customer identification; royalty/invoice number; payor-assigned 
document number; date of ONRR receipt; original amount the payor 
reported; and remaining balance due ONRR. The agent mails the letters 
to the payors,

[[Page 7495]]

instructing them to respond directly to the agent to confirm the 
accuracy and validity of selected royalty receivable items and amounts. 
Verifying the amounts reported and the balances due requires research 
and analysis by payors.
    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. ONRR 
protects proprietary information that payors submit, and there are no 
questions of a sensitive nature included in this information 
collection.

II. Data

    Title: Accounts Receivable Confirmations.
    OMB Control Number: 1012-0001.
    Bureau Form Number: None.
    Frequency: Annually.
    Estimated Number and Description of Respondents: 24 randomly 
selected Federal and Indian oil and gas and solid mineral royalty 
payors.
    Estimated Annual Reporting and Recordkeeping ``Hour'' Burden: 6 
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 
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, and a person is not 
required to respond to, a collection of information unless it displays 
a currently valid OMB control number.

III. Request for Comments

    Section 3506(c)(2)(A) of the PRA 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 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/ICR0162.htm.
    Public Comment Policy: ONRR will post all comments, including names 
and addresses of respondents at http://www.regulations.gov. Before 
including Personally Identifiable Information (PII), such as your 
address, phone number, email address, or other personal information in 
your comment(s), you should be aware that your entire comment 
(including PII) may be made available to the public at any time. While 
you may ask us, in your comment, to withhold PII from public view, we 
cannot guarantee that we will be able to do so. 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 Office 
of Management and Budget control number.

    Dated: February 2, 2015.
Gregory J. Gould,
Director, Office of Natural Resources Revenue.
[FR Doc. 2015-02638 Filed 2-9-15; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4335-30-P