2015-30988. Notice of Proposed Information Collection; Request for Comments for 1029-0119

AGENCY:

Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement, Interior.

ACTION:

Notice and request for comments.

SUMMARY:

In compliance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, the Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement (OSMRE) is announcing that the information collection request for contractor eligibility, and the Abandoned Mine Land Contractor Information Form, has been forwarded to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for review and approval. The information collection request describes the nature of the information collection and the expected burden and cost. This information collection activity was previously approved by OMB and assigned control number 1029-0119.

DATES:

Comments must be submitted on or before January 8, 2016, to be assured of consideration.

ADDRESSES:

Submit comments to the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs, Office of Management and Budget, Department of the Interior Desk Officer, via email at [e-mail], or by facsimile to [phone]. Also, please send a copy of your comments to John Trelease, Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement, 1951 Constitution Ave. NW., Room 203-SIB, Washington, DC 20240, or electronically to [e-mail]. Please reference 1029-0119 in your correspondence.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

To receive a copy of the information collection request contact John Trelease at [phone], or electronically at [e-mail]. You may also review this information collection request on the Internet by going to http://www.reginfo.gov (Information Collection Review, Currently Under Review, Agency is Department of the Interior, DOI-OSMRE).

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

The Office of Management and Budget (OMB) regulations at 5 CFR 1320, which implement provisions of the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (Pub. L. 104-13), require that interested members of the public and affected agencies have an opportunity to comment on information collection and recordkeeping activities [see 5 CFR 1320.8(d)]. OSMRE has submitted a request to OMB to renew its approval for the collection of information for 30 CFR 874.16, and the AML Contractor Information Form which is found in the Applicant/Violator System (AVS) handbook. OSMRE is requesting a 3-year term of approval for this collection.

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 OMB control number for this collection of information is 1029-0119.

As required by 5 CFR 1320.8(d), a Federal Register notice soliciting comments on this collection of information was published on August 17, 2015 (80 FR 49267). No comments were received. This notice provides the public with an additional 30 days in which to comment on the following information collection activity:

Title: 30 CFR 874.16—Contractor Eligibility and the Abandoned Mine Land Contractor Information Form.

OMB Control Number: 1029-0119.

Summary: 30 CFR 874.16 requires that every successful bidder for an AML contract must be eligible under 30 CFR 773.15(b)(1) at the time of contract award to receive a permit or conditional permit to conduct surface coal mining operations. Further, the regulation requires the eligibility to be confirmed by OSMRE's automated Applicant/Violator System (AVS) and the contractor must be eligible under the regulations implementing section 510(c) of the Surface Mining Act to receive permits to conduct mining operations. This form provides a tool for OSMRE and the States/Indian tribes to help them prevent persons with outstanding violations from conducting further mining or AML reclamation activities in the State.

Bureau Form Title: AML Contractor Information Form (No form number).

Frequency of Collection: Once per contract.

Description of Respondents: AML contract applicants and State and Tribal regulatory authorities.

Total Annual Responses: 247 bidders and 93 State/Tribal responses.

Total Annual Burden Hours: 205.

Obligation to Respond: Required in order to obtain or retain benefits.

Send comments on the need for the collection of information for the performance of the functions of the agency; the accuracy of the agency's burden estimates; ways to enhance the quality, utility and clarity of the information collection; and ways to minimize the information collection burden on respondents, such as use of automated means of collection of the information, to the offices listed in the ADDRESSES section. Please refer to the appropriate OMB control number in all correspondence.

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.

Dated: December 4, 2015.

John A. Trelease,

Acting Chief, Division of Regulatory Support.