2018-01436. Agency Information Collection Activities; Oil and Gas, or Geothermal Resources: Transfers and Assignments

AGENCY:

Bureau of Land Management, Interior.

ACTION:

Notice of information collection; request for comment.

SUMMARY:

In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, we, the Bureau of Land Management (BLM), are proposing to renew an information collection with revisions.

DATES:

Interested persons are invited to submit comments on or before March 27, 2018.

ADDRESSES:

Send your comments on this information collection request (ICR) by mail to the U.S. Department of the Interior, Bureau of Land Management, 1849 C Street NW, Room 2134LM, Washington, DC 20240, Attention: Jean Sonneman; by email to [e-mail]. Please reference OMB Control Number 1004-0034 in the subject line of your comments.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

To request additional information about this ICR, contact Jennifer Spencer by email at [e-mail], or by telephone at 202-912-7146.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, we provide the general public and other Federal agencies with an opportunity to comment on new, proposed, revised, and continuing collections of information. This helps us assess the impact of our information collection requirements and minimize the public's reporting burden. It also helps the public understand our information collection requirements and provide the requested data in the desired format.

We are soliciting comments on the proposed ICR that is described below. We are especially interested in public comment addressing the following issues: (1) Is the collection necessary to the proper functions of the BLM; (2) will this information be processed and used in a timely manner; (3) is the estimate of burden accurate; (4) how might the BLM enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of the information to be collected; and (5) how might the BLM minimize the burden of this collection on the respondents, including through the use of information technology.

Comments that you submit in response to this notice are a matter of public record. We will include or summarize each comment in our 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 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.

Title of Collection: Oil, Gas, and Geothermal Resources: Transfers and Assignments.

OMB Control Number: 1004-0034.

Form Numbers: 3000-3 and 3000-3a.

Type of Review: 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: 17,626.

Total Estimated Number of Annual Responses: 17,626.

Estimated Completion Time per Response: 30 minutes.

Total Estimated Number of Annual Burden Hours: 8,813.

Respondent's Obligation: Required to obtain or retain a benefit.

Frequency of Collection: On occasion.

Total Estimated Annual Nonhour Burden Cost: $1,674,470.

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.

The authority for this action is the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (44 U.S.C. 3501 et seq).

Jean Sonneman,

Senior Regulatory Analyst, Bureau of Land Management.