[Federal Register Volume 89, Number 94 (Tuesday, May 14, 2024)]
[Notices]
[Pages 41990-41991]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2024-10434]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Bureau of Land Management

[LLHQ310000.L13100000.PP0000; OMB Control No. 1004-0034]


Agency Information Collection Activities; Submission to the 
Office of Management and Budget for Review and Approval; Oil and Gas, 
or Geothermal Resources: Transfers and Assignments

AGENCY: Bureau of Land Management, Interior.

ACTION: Notice of information collection; request for comment.

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SUMMARY: In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (PRA), 
the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) proposes to renew with changes an 
information collection.

DATES: Interested persons are invited to submit comments on or before 
June 13, 2024.

ADDRESSES: Written comments and recommendations for this information 
collection request (ICR) should be sent within 30 days of publication 
of this notice to www.reginfo.gov/public/do/PRAMain. Find this 
information collection by selecting ``Currently under 30-day Review--
Open for Public Comments'' or by using the search function.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: To request additional information 
about this ICR, contact Peter Cowan by email at [email protected], or by 
telephone at

[[Page 41991]]

720-838-1641. 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. You may also view the ICR at http://www.reginfo.gov/public/do/PRAMain.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: In accordance with the PRA (44 U.S.C. 3501 
et seq.) and 5 CFR 1320.8(d)(1), we invite the public and other Federal 
agencies to comment on new, proposed, revised and continuing 
collections of information. This helps the BLM assess impacts of its 
information collection requirements and minimize the public's reporting 
burden. It also helps the public understand BLM information collection 
requirements and ensure requested data are provided in the desired 
format.
    A Federal Register notice with a 60-day public comment period 
soliciting comments on this collection of information was published on 
November 7, 2023 (88 FR 76846).
    As part of our continuing effort to reduce paperwork and respondent 
burdens, we are again inviting the public and other Federal agencies to 
comment on the proposed ICR described below. The BLM is especially 
interested in public comment 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 our 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; and
    (4) How might the agency minimize the burden of the collection of 
information on those who are to respond, including 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.
    Comments submitted in response to this notice are a matter of 
public record. 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.
    Abstract: This collection of information enables the BLM to process 
assignments of record title interest and transfers of operating rights 
in a lease for oil and gas or geothermal resources. Each assignment or 
transfer is a contract between private parties but, by law, must be 
approved by the Secretary. The BLM uses information about assignments 
and transfers to prevent unlawful extraction of mineral resources, to 
ensure prompt payment of rentals and royalties for the rights obtained 
under a Federal lease, and to ensure that leases are not encumbered 
with agreements that cause the minerals to be uneconomical to produce, 
resulting in lost revenues to the Federal Government. The information 
also enables the BLM to ensure the assignee or transferee is in 
compliance with the bonding requirements, when necessary, before 
approval of the transfer or assignment. The BLM does not expect any 
changes to the burden hours for submissions; however, the BLM did 
update the information to be collected. The BLM added the legacy lease 
serial number field to capture the legacy serial number now that all 
leases have a new serial number based upon all records migrating into 
the Mineral & Land Records System. The BLM will also require the forms 
to include a company's principals, as defined under 2 CFR 180.995. The 
BLM requires the principal information to ensure the entity acquiring 
interest in the lease is not Federally suspended or debarred and is 
qualified to hold a lease. The BLM does not expect these additional 
fields to increase the burden as this information is readily available. 
Additionally, The BLM is adjusting the cost burden to reflect inflation 
adjustments. This adjustment will increase the total annual cost burden 
by $132,270 (from $881,800 to $1,014,070). OMB control number 1004-0034 
is currently scheduled to expire on September 30, 2024. The BLM plans 
to request that OMB renew this OMB control number for an additional 
thee (3) years.
    Title of Collection: Oil and Gas, or Geothermal Resources: 
Transfers and Assignments (43 CFR Subparts 3106, 3135, and 3216).
    OMB Control Number: 1004-0034.
    Form Number: 3000-003; 3000-003a.
    Type of Review: Extension with revision of a currently approved 
collection.
    Respondents/Affected Public: Assignors and assignees of record 
title interest in a lease for oil and gas or geothermal resources; and 
transferors and transferees of operating rights (sublease) in a lease 
for oil and gas or geothermal resources.
    Total Estimated Number of Annual Respondents: 8,818.
    Total Estimated Number of Annual Responses: 8,818.
    Estimated Completion Time per Response: 30 minutes.
    Total Estimated Number of Annual Burden Hours: 4,410.
    Respondent's Obligation: Required to obtain or retain a benefit.
    Frequency of Collection: On occasion.
    Total Estimated Annual Nonhour Burden Cost: $1,014,070.
    An agency may not conduct or sponsor and, notwithstanding any other 
provision of law, a person is not required to respond to a collection 
of information unless it displays a currently valid OMB control number.
    The authority for this action is the Paperwork Reduction Act of 
1995 (44 U.S.C. 3501 et seq.).

Darrin King,
Information Collection Clearance Officer.
[FR Doc. 2024-10434 Filed 5-13-24; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4310-84-P