[Federal Register Volume 86, Number 245 (Monday, December 27, 2021)]
[Notices]
[Page 73314]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2021-28045]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Office of Natural Resources Revenue

[Docket No. ONRR-2011-0002; DS63644000 DRT000000.CH7000 223D1113RT]


States' Decisions on Participating in Accounting and Auditing 
Relief for Federal Oil and Gas Marginal Properties

AGENCY: Office of Natural Resources Revenue, Interior.

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: In accordance with Office of Natural Resources Revenue (ONRR) 
regulations, ONRR provides two types of accounting and auditing relief 
for Federal oil and gas production from marginal properties: (1) The 
cumulative royalty reports and payments relief option, which allows a 
lessee or designee to submit one royalty report and payment for the 
calendar year's production; and (2) other requested relief, which 
allows a lessee or designee to request any type of accounting and 
auditing relief that is appropriate for production from the marginal 
property and meets certain requirements. By October 1 of each calendar 
year, ONRR provides a list of qualifying marginal Federal oil and gas 
properties to the States receiving a portion of Federal royalties from 
those properties. Each State then decides whether to participate in 
neither, one, or both relief options. This Notice provides the public 
each State's decision on whether to participate in marginal property 
relief.

DATES: Effective January 1, 2022.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mr. Robert Sudar, Market and Spatial 
Analytics, Coordination, Enforcement, Valuations, and Appeals Division, 
ONRR, at (303) 231-3511; or by email to [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Pursuant to the Federal Oil and Gas Royalty 
Simplification and Fairness Act of 1996 (30 U.S.C. 1726) and 30 CFR 
part 1204, subpart C, ONRR and States can relieve the lessee of a 
marginal Federal oil and gas property from certain reporting, 
accounting, and auditing requirements. ONRR's rules under 30 CFR 
1204.202 and 1204.203 authorize two relief options: (1) Cumulative 
royalty reports and payments relief option, which allows a lessee or 
designee to submit one royalty report and payment during a calendar 
year; and (2) other requested relief, which allows a lessee or designee 
to request any type of appropriate marginal property accounting and 
auditing relief that meets the requirements under Sec.  1204.5 and is 
not prohibited under Sec.  1204.204.
    To qualify for the first relief option, cumulative royalty reports 
and payments relief option, properties must produce less than 1,000 
barrels-of-oil-equivalent (BOE) per year for the base period (July 1, 
2020 through June 30, 2021). Annual reporting relief will begin January 
1, 2022, with the annual report and payment due February 28, 2023. If a 
lessee has an estimated payment on file, the payment due date is March 
31, 2023. To qualify for the second relief option, other requested 
relief, the combined equivalent production of the marginal properties 
during the base period must equal an average daily well production of 
less than 15 BOE per well per day, as calculated under 30 CFR 
1204.4(c).
    Each State makes an annual determination as to whether it will 
participate in neither, one, or both relief options. This Notice 
fulfills the requirement in ONRR's rules to publish a notice of the 
State's ``intent to allow or not allow certain relief options . . . in 
the Federal Register no later than 30 days before the beginning of the 
applicable calendar year.'' See 30 CFR 1204.208(f).
    The following table shows the States with qualifying marginal 
properties and those States' decisions on whether to participate in 
neither, one, or both relief options for calendar year 2022. An ``N/A'' 
means that no properties within the State met that condition for that 
type of relief:

------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                  Cumulative royalty   Other  accounting
                                  report and payment     and  auditing
              State                relief (less than   relief (less than
                                     1,000 BOE per      15 BOE per well
                                         year)             per day)
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Alabama.........................  YES...............  YES.
Arkansas........................  N/A...............  YES.
California......................  NO................  NO.
Colorado........................  NO................  NO.
Kansas..........................  NO................  NO.
Louisiana.......................  YES...............  YES.
Michigan........................  YES...............  YES.
Montana.........................  NO................  NO.
Nebraska........................  N/A...............  NO.
Nevada..........................  YES...............  YES.
New Mexico......................  NO................  YES.
North Dakota....................  YES...............  YES.
Oklahoma........................  NO................  NO.
South Dakota....................  YES...............  YES.
Utah............................  NO................  NO.
Wyoming.........................  YES...............  NO.
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    Pursuant to 30 U.S.C. 1726(c), a Federal oil and gas property 
located in a State where ONRR does not share a portion of Federal 
royalties with that State (that is, for 2022, a State not listed in the 
table above) is eligible for relief if it qualifies as a marginal 
property. For more information on how to obtain relief, please refer to 
30 CFR 1204.205.
    Unless the information that ONRR receives is proprietary data, all 
correspondence, records, or information received in response to this 
notice may be subject to disclosure under the Freedom of Information 
Act (FOIA, 5 U.S.C. 552 et seq.). If applicable, please highlight the 
proprietary portions, including any supporting documentation, or mark 
the page(s) containing proprietary data. ONRR protects proprietary 
information under the Trade Secrets Act (18 U.S.C. 1905), FOIA 
Exemption 4 (5 U.S.C. 552(b)(4)), and the Department of the Interior's 
FOIA regulations (43 CFR part 2).
    Authority: Federal Oil and Gas Royalty Management Act of 1982, 30 
U.S.C. 1701 et seq., as amended by Federal Oil and Gas Royalty 
Simplification and Fairness Act of 1996 (RSFA, Pub. L. 104-185--Aug. 
13, 1996, as corrected by Pub. L. 104-200--Sept. 22, 1996).

Kimbra G. Davis,
Director, Office of Natural Resources Revenue.
[FR Doc. 2021-28045 Filed 12-23-21; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4335-30-P