97-28088. Workshop on the Federal Oil and Gas Royalty Simplification and Fairness Act of 1996 (RSFA)

[Federal Register Volume 62, Number 205 (Thursday, October 23, 1997)]
[Proposed Rules]
[Pages 55197-55198]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 97-28088]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Minerals Management Service

30 CFR Chapter II


Workshop on the Federal Oil and Gas Royalty Simplification and 
Fairness Act of 1996 (RSFA)

AGENCY: Minerals Management Service, Interior.

ACTION: Notice of workshop.

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SUMMARY: The Minerals Management Service (MMS), Royalty Management 
Program, is implementing the requirements of the Federal Oil and Gas 
Royalty Simplification and Fairness Act of 1996. The purpose of this 
notice is to inform the public of a public workshop session.

DATES: The workshop will begin on Wednesday, November 5, 1997, from 1 
p.m. to 5 p.m., Mountain time; and continues on Thursday, November 6, 
1997, from 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m., Mountain time.

ADDRESSES: The workshop will be held in the Building 85 Auditorium at 
the Denver Federal Center, Denver, Colorado. Mail comments to: David S. 
Guzy, Chief, Rules and Publications Staff, Royalty Management Program, 
Minerals Management Service, P.O. Box 25165, MS 3021, Denver, Colorado 
80225-0165; courier delivery to Building 85, Denver Federal Center, 
Denver, Colorado 80225; or e-mail [e-mail].

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: David S. Guzy, Chief, Rules and 
Publications Staff, telephone [phone]; Fax [phone]; e-
mail: [e-mail].; or contact Mike Miller, at [phone]; 
e-mail: [e-mail].
    MMS will send a detailed agenda for the meeting via facsimile on or 
before October 30, 1997, to the State and industry working group 
members listed below. This group originally met with us in October 
1996, and members of this working group agreed to make sure those 
stakeholders whom they represent are appropriately represented at 
scheduled meetings.

American Petroleum Institute

Richard McPike, Fina Oil, P.O. Box 2159, Dallas, TX 75221, (214) 750-
2820, Fax: [phone]
Backup: David Deal, 1220 L Street, N.W., Washington, DC 20005, (202) 
682-8261, Fax: [phone]

Council of Petroleum Accountants Societies

John Clark, Conoco, P.O. Box 1267, Ponca City, OK 74602-1267, (405) 
767-5044, Fax: [phone]

Domestic Petroleum Council

Becky McGee, Oryx Energy Company, 13155 Noel Road, Dallas, TX 75240, 
[phone], Fax: [phone]

Independent Petroleum Association of America

Ben Dillon, 1101 16th Street, N.W., Washington, DC 20036, (202) 857-
4722, Fax: [phone]

Independent Petroleum Association of Mountain States

Carla Wilson, 518 17th Street, Denver, CO 80202-4167, [phone], 
Fax: [phone]

Mid-Continent Oil & Gas Association

Patty Patten, OXY USA, Inc., 110 W. 7th Street, Tulsa, OK 74137, (918) 
561-3703, Fax: [phone]

Backup: Patricia Dunmire Bragg, Gardere & Wynne, L.L.P., 100 West Fifth 
Street, 200 Oneck Plaza, Tulsa, OK 74103-4240, [phone], Fax: 
[phone]

Natural Gas Supply Association

George Butler, Chevron, P.O. Box 3725, Houston, TX 77213-3725, (713) 
754-7809, Fax: [phone]

Rocky Mountain Oil & Gas Association

Mary Stonecipher, Amoco Corporation, P.O. Box 591, Tulsa, OK 74102, 
[phone], Fax: [phone]

Backup: Cliff Dodge, 1775 Sherman Street, Suite 2501, Denver, CO 80203, 
[phone], Fax: [phone]


[[Page 55198]]


Backup: Wayne Pachall, Texaco, Inc., P.O. Box 4325, Houston, TX 77210, 
[phone], Fax: [phone]

Royalty Policy Committee

David Blackmon, Burlington Resources, 801 Cherry, Suite 700, Fort 
Worth, TX 76102, [phone], Fax: [phone]

State and Tribal Royalty Audit Committee

George Staigle, North Dakota State Auditor's Office, Royalty Audit 
Section, P.O. Box 3009, Bismark, ND 58502-3009, [phone], Fax: 
[phone]

Western Governors' Association

Paul Kruse, State of Wyoming, Herschler Building, 3 West, 121 West 25th 
Street, Cheyenne, WY 82002-0600, [phone], Fax: [phone]

Western States Land Commissioners Association

Roger Melson, Oklahoma Commissioners of the Land Office, P.O. Box 
26910, Oklahoma City, OK 26910, Phone: [phone], Fax: (405) 271-
2500.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: President Clinton signed the Federal Oil and 
Gas Royalty Simplification and Fairness Act (RSFA) on August 13, 1996, 
to improve the management of royalties from Federal oil and gas leases. 
This is the first major legislation affecting royalty management since 
the Federal Oil and Gas Royalty Management Act of 1982 (FOGRMA) was 
passed in January 1983.
    In our Federal Register Notice dated October 30, 1996 (61 FR 
55941), MMS listed key issues involved in implementing RSFA. This 
workshop will focus on some of those key issues. Potential discussion 
topics include:

Interest on Overpayments

     Accepting Interest Payments and Reporting from 
``Designees'' on Underpayments.
     Reporting and Paying Interest on Overpayments.

Assessing for Chronic Erroneous Reporting Takes/Entitlements

     Marginal Properties exception to RSFA entitlements 
reporting requirements.
     Reporting requirements on takes/entitlement basis.

Marginal Properties

     Providing Accounting, Reporting, and Auditing Relief for 
Marginal Properties.
     Allowing for Prepayments of Future Revenue Streams.
    For each of these issues, MMS plans to describe work to date 
including any decision reached. MMS will also discuss the status of 
regulations, systems changes, and process implementation for each of 
these key issues. We will also focus on aspects of these key issues 
where we believe State and industry feedback is needed before we go 
further in implementation.
    In order to accomplish a broad based fact finding on how the 
requirements of RSFA affect our customers and stakeholders, comments 
from the public are encouraged on any issue related to implementing 
RSFA. In addition to attendance at this workshop, comments can be made 
in writing and sent directly to MMS using instructions in the ADDRESSES 
part of this notice.

    Dated: October 16, 1997.
Lucy Querques Denett,
Associate Director for Royalty Management.
[FR Doc. 97-28088 Filed 10-22-97; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4310-MR-P