[Federal Register Volume 88, Number 5 (Monday, January 9, 2023)]
[Notices]
[Pages 1290-1291]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2023-00113]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Office of Natural Resources Revenue

[Docket No. ONRR-2012-0006; DS63644000 DRT000000.CH7000 223D1113RT]


Agency Information Collection Activities: Federal Oil and Gas 
Valuation; OMB Control Number 1012-0005

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

ACTION: Notice of information collection; request for comment.

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SUMMARY: In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 
(``PRA''), ONRR is proposing to renew an information collection. 
Through this Information Collection Request (``ICR''), ONRR seeks 
renewed authority to collect information necessary to (1) verify proper 
reporting and payment of royalties and other amounts due pursuant to 
Federal oil and gas leases; (2) determine requests for prepayment or 
accounting and auditing relief for certain marginal properties; and (3) 
determine requests to exceed transportation and processing allowance 
limits. ONRR uses form ONRR-4393 (Request to Exceed Regulatory 
Allowance Limitation) as part of these information collection 
requirements.

DATES: You must submit your written comments on or before February 8, 
2023.

ADDRESSES: All comment submissions must (1) reference ``OMB Control 
Number 1012-0005'' in the subject line; (2) be sent to ONRR before the 
close of the comment period listed under DATES; and (3) be sent using 
the following method:
     Electronically via the Federal eRulemaking Portal: Please 
visit https://www.regulations.gov. In the Search Box, enter the Docket 
ID Number for this ICR renewal (``ONRR-2012-0006'') and click 
``search'' to view the publications associated with the docket folder. 
Locate the document with an open comment period and click the ``Comment 
Now!'' button. Follow the prompts to submit your comment prior to the 
close of the comment period.
    Docket: To access the docket folder to view the ICR Federal 
Register publications, go to https://www.regulations.gov and search 
``ONRR-2012-0006'' to view renewal notices recently published in the 
Federal Register, publications associated with prior renewals, and 
applicable public comments received for this ICR. ONRR will make the 
comments submitted in response to this notice available for public 
viewing at https://www.regulations.gov.
    OMB ICR Data: OMB also maintains information on ICR renewals and 
approvals. You may access this information at https://www.reginfo.gov/public/do/PRASearch. Please use the following instructions: Under the 
``OMB Control Number'' heading enter ``1012-0005'' and click the 
``Search'' button located at the bottom of the page. To view the ICR 
renewal or OMB approval status, click on the latest entry (based on the 
most recent date). On the ``View ICR--OIRA Conclusion'' page, check the 
box next to ``All'' to display all available ICR information provided 
by OMB.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: To request additional information 
about this ICR, please contact Peter Christnacht, Royalty Valuation 
Guidance, ONRR, by email at [email protected] or by telephone 
at (303) 231-3651. Individuals in the United States who are deaf, 
deafblind, hard of hearing, or have a speech disability may dial 711 
(TTY, TDD, or TeleBraille) to access telecommunications relay services. 
Individuals outside the United States should use the relay services 
offered within their country to make international calls to the point-
of-contact in the United States.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Pursuant to the PRA, 44 U.S.C. 3501, et 
seq., and 5 CFR 1320.5, all information collections, as defined in 5 
CFR 1320.3, require approval by OMB. ONRR may not conduct or sponsor, 
and you are not required to respond to, a collection of information 
unless it displays a currently valid OMB control number.
    As part of ONRR's continuing effort to reduce paperwork and 
respondent burdens, ONRR is inviting the public and other Federal 
agencies to comment on new, proposed, revised, and continuing 
collections of information in accordance with the PRA and 5 CFR 
1320.8(d)(1). This helps ONRR to assess the impact of its information 
collection requirements and minimize the public's reporting burden. It 
also helps the public understand ONRR's information collection 
requirements and provide the requested data in the desired format.
    ONRR is especially interested in public comments addressing the 
following:
    (1) Whether the collection of information is necessary for the 
proper performance of the functions of the agency, including whether 
the information will have practical utility.
    (2) The accuracy of ONRR's estimate of the burden for this 
collection of information, including the validity of the methodology 
and assumptions used.
    (3) Ways to enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of the 
information to be collected.
    (4) How might the agency minimize the burden of the collection of 
information on those who are to respond, including through the use of 
appropriate automated, electronic, mechanical, or other technological 
collection techniques or other forms of information technology, e.g., 
permitting electronic submission of response.
    As required in 5 CFR 1320.8(d), ONRR published a 60-day notice, for 
review and comment, in the Federal Register on May 26th, 2022 (87 FR 
32050). ONRR received two comments from www.regulations.gov.

1. Comment From United Tribal Nations Organization

    Comment: All Ongwhehonwhe, Native American people are to receive 
Royalties from all assets, also the rights to their inherited lands, No 
nation shall have restricted lands/federal trust!! No non-natives are 
to have any claim to any resources as these all belong to the 
Ongwhehonwhe, The Original People of these lands.
    ONRR Response: ONRR appreciates the comment and feedback, however 
this Information Collection Request is related to Federal lands, not 
Tribal lands.

 Comment From Anonymous

    Comment: I agree with the content of this Information Collection 
Request.

[[Page 1291]]

    ONRR Response: ONRR appreciates the comment and feedback.
    ONRR acknowledged and provided responses to all commenters 
accordingly.
    Comments that you submit in response to this 30-day notice are a 
matter of public record. ONRR will include or summarize each comment in 
its request to OMB to approve this ICR. 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 ONRR in your comment to 
withhold your personal identifying information from public review, ONRR 
cannot guarantee that it will be able to do so.

(a) Abstract--General Information

    ONRR reviews and audits the reporting and payment of royalties and 
other amounts due to the United States pursuant to Federal oil and gas 
leases. See U.S. Department of the Interior Departmental Manual, 112 DM 
34.1 (Sept. 9, 2020). ONRR's responsibilities include valuing oil and 
gas for royalty purposes, evaluating claimed transportation and 
processing allowances, and granting royalty prepayment, accounting, and 
other relief for marginal properties in appropriate circumstances. ONRR 
collects the information covered by this ICR for these purposes. ONRR 
shares information with the Bureau of Land Management, Bureau of Indian 
Affairs, Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement, Bureau of 
Ocean Energy Management, and State governments for their land and lease 
management responsibilities.

(b) Federal Oil and Gas Royalties and Valuation

    Title 30 CFR part 1202--Royalties, subparts B and C, and 30 CFR 
part 1206--Product Valuation, subparts C and D, require a lessee to 
provide certain information necessary to calculate royalties due to the 
United States. Information collected under these subparts is used for 
oil and gas valuation, calculating and allocating transportation and 
processing allowances, determining location and quality differentials, 
and allocating residue gas and gas plant products to leases. See 
Sec. Sec.  1206.102, 1206.108, 1206.110, 1206.113, 1206.141, 1206.142, 
1206.148, 1206.150, 1206.152 to 1206.154, 1206.160, and 1206.161.
    Some information collected under parts 1202 and 1206 is submitted 
on form ONRR-2014 (Report of Sales and Royalty Remittance). This ICR 
does not include burden hours for submitting information on form ONRR-
2014 because those burden hours are addressed in ONRR's ICR 1012-0004 
(Royalty and Production Reporting). See Agency Information Collection 
Activities; Royalty and Production Reporting, 87 FR 3300 (January 21, 
2022).

(c) Accounting and Auditing Relief for Marginal Properties

    Title 30 U.S.C 1726 and 30 CFR part 1204 allow ONRR or a State that 
receives a statutorily prescribed portion of the royalties from a 
Federal lease to grant certain relief for marginal properties. This 
relief includes allowing a lessee to make a lump-sum advance payment of 
royalties instead of monthly royalty payments and various accounting 
and auditing relief options. See 30 CFR 1204.3. Lessees must submit 
information to ONRR for this relief. See Sec. Sec.  1204.202, 1204.203, 
1204.205, 1204.206, and 1204.209 to 1204.211.

(d) Requests To Exceed Allowance Limits

    Title 30 CFR part 1206--Product Valuation, subparts C and D, prior 
to their amendment effective January 1, 2017, permitted a Federal oil 
and gas lessee to request to exceed certain caps that ONRR's 
regulations place on transportation and processing allowances by filing 
form ONRR-4393 (Request to Exceed Regulatory Allowance Limitation), 
with supporting documentation. See Sec. Sec.  1206.109(c)(2) (2016), 
1206.153(c)(3) (2016), and 1206.158(c)(3) (2016). Subject to the 
statute of limitations, a lessee may file this form to request to 
exceed the caps for oil and gas produced prior to January 1, 2017.
    This ICR does not include burden hours for submitting information 
on form ONRR-4393 for Indian leases because those burden hours are 
addressed in ONRR's ICR 1012-0002 (Indian Oil and Gas Valuation).
    (e) Information Collections: This ICR covers the paperwork 
requirements under 30 CFR parts 1202, 1204, and 1206.
    Title of Collection: Federal Oil and Gas Valuation--30 CFR parts 
1202, 1204 and 1206.
    OMB Control Number: 1012-0005.
    Form Number: ONRR-4393.
    Type of Review: Extension of a currently approved collection.
    Respondents/Affected Public: Businesses.
    Total Estimated Number of Annual Respondents: 120 Federal lessees/
designees and 7 States for Federal oil and gas.
    Total Estimated Number of Annual Responses: 139.
    Estimated Completion Time per Response: The average completion time 
is 71.32 hours per response. The average completion time is calculated 
by dividing the total estimated burden hours (9,913) by the estimated 
annual responses (139).
    Estimated Number of Annual Burden Hours: 9,913 hours.
    For this renewal cycle, the burden hours have decreased 105 hours 
in part 1206 due to the Consolidated Federal and Indian Oil & Gas and 
Federal & Indian Coal Valuation Reform Final Reform Rule published on 
July 1, 2016 (81 FR 43337), and effective January 1, 2017.
    Respondent's Obligation: The information that a lessee must submit 
pursuant to 30 CFR parts 1202 and 1206 for calculating royalties and 
other payment obligations for Federal oil and gas leases is mandatory. 
The information that a lessee must submit to obtain prepayment, 
accounting, or auditing relief for qualifying Federal marginal 
properties or to exceed the transportation and processing regulatory 
caps for oil and gas produced prior to 2017 is required to obtain or 
retain a benefit.
    Frequency of Collection: Annually and on occasion.
    Estimated Annual Nonhour Burden Cost: ONRR has identified no 
``nonhour'' cost burden associated with the collection of information.
    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.
    Authority: Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (44 U.S.C. 3501 et seq).

Howard Cantor,
Acting Director, Office of Natural Resources Revenue.
[FR Doc. 2023-00113 Filed 1-6-23; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4335-30-P