98-13474. Agency Information Collection Activities: Submitted for Office of Management and Budget Review; Comment Request

[Federal Register Volume 63, Number 98 (Thursday, May 21, 1998)]
[Notices]
[Pages 27998-27999]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 98-13474]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Minerals Management Service


Agency Information Collection Activities: Submitted for Office of 
Management and Budget Review; Comment Request

    Title: Report of Sales and Royalty Remittance, Form MMS-2014.
    OMB Control Number: 1010-0022.
    Comments: This collection of information has been submitted to the 
Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for approval. In compliance with 
the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, Section 3506(c)(2)(A), we are 
notifying you, members of the public and affected agencies, of this 
collection of information, and are inviting your comments. Is this 
information collection necessary for us to properly do our job? Have we 
accurately estimated the public's burden for responding to this 
collection? Can we enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of the 
information we collect? Can we lessen the burden of this information 
collection on the respondents by using automated collection techniques 
or other forms of information technology?
    Comments should be made directly to the Attention: Desk Officer for 
the Interior Department, Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs, 
Office of Management and Budget (OMB Control Number: 1010-0022), 
Washington, DC 20503; telephone [phone]. Copies of these 
comments should also be sent to us. The U.S. Postal Service address is 
Minerals Management Service, Royalty Management Program, Rules and 
Publications Staff, P.O. Box 25165, MS 3021, Denver, Colorado 80225-
0165; the courier address is Building 85, Room A-613, Denver Federal 
Center, Denver, Colorado 80225; and the e-Mail address is 
[e-mail]. OMB has up to 60 days to approve or disapprove 
the information collection but may respond after 30 days; therefore, 
public comments should be submitted to OMB within 30 days in order to 
assure their maximum consideration.
    Copies of the proposed information collection and related 
explanatory material may be obtained by contacting Dennis C. Jones, 
Rules and Publications Staff, telephone [phone], FAX (303) 231-
3385, e-Mail [e-mail].

DATES: Written comments should be received on or before June 22, 1998.

SUMMARY: The Secretary of the Interior is responsible for the 
collection of royalties from leases producing minerals from leased 
Federal and Indian lands. The Secretary is required by various laws to 
manage the production of mineral resources on Indian lands and Federal 
onshore and offshore leases, to collect the royalties due, and to 
distribute the funds in accordance with those laws.
    The Minerals Management Service (MMS) performs the royalty 
management function for the Secretary. When a company or individual 
enters

[[Page 27999]]

into a contract to develop, produce, and dispose of minerals from 
Federal or Indian lands, that company or individual agrees to pay the 
United States or Indian tribe or allottee a share (royalty) monthly of 
the full value received for the minerals taken from leased lands.
    The Auditing and Financial System (AFS) is the automated fiscal 
accounting system used by the Royalty Management Program (RMP) to 
account for revenues collected from Federal and Indian leases. The 
Report of Sales and Royalty Remittance, Form MMS-2014, is the only 
document used for reporting royalties, certain rents, and other lease-
related transactions to MMS. AFS relies on data reported by payors on 
Form MMS-2014 for the majority of its processing.
    In addition to accounting for royalties reported by payors, AFS, 
using Form MMS-2014 information, performs numerous other functions. 
These functions include monthly distribution of mineral revenues to 
State, Indian, and U.S. Treasury accounts; providing royalty accounting 
and statistical information to States, Indians, and others who have a 
need for such information; and identifying under reporting and 
nonreporting so MMS can promptly collect revenues. Sales and royalty 
information gathered through AFS is compared with production data 
collected by a second MMS system, the Production Accounting and 
Auditing System. This comparison of reported production with reported 
sales provides MMS with valuable cross-check capabilities for 
verification of production with reported sales.
    Failure to collect the information provided by Form MMS-2014 would 
render it impossible to ensure that MMS is collecting and disbursing 
the full value of royalties received from production of leased lands. 
Collection of royalties directly impacts the amount of funds made 
available to the United States Treasury, to State governments, and to 
Indian tribes and allottees.
    Description of Respondents: Companies or individuals (payors) that 
contract to develop, produce, and dispose of minerals from Federal or 
Indian lands and agree to pay the United States, Indian tribe or 
allottee royalties on the full value received for minerals taken from 
leased lands.
    Frequency of Response: Monthly.
    Estimated Reporting and Recordkeeping Burden: 7 minutes per 
manually completed report, 2 minutes per electronically completed 
report, and 12 hours annually for recordkeeping.
    Annual Responses: 3,300,000.
    Annual Burden Hours: 189,000 hours.
    Bureau Clearance Officer: Jo Ann Lauterbach [phone].

    Dated: April 22, 1998.
Lucy Querques Denett,
Associate Director for Royalty Management.
[FR Doc. 98-13474 Filed 5-20-98; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4310-MR-P