01-11240. Notice of Proposed Information Collection

AGENCY:

Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement.

ACTION:

Notice and request for comments.

SUMMARY:

In compliance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, the Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement (OSM) is announcing that the information collection request for the Permanent Program Performance Standards—Underground Mining Activities at 30 CFR 817, has been forwarded to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for review and comment. The information collection request describes the nature of the information collection and the expected burden and cost.

DATES:

OMB has up to 60 days to approve or disapprove the information collections but may respond after 30 days. Therefore, public comments should be submitted to OMB by June 4, 2001, in order to be assured of consideration.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

To request a copy of the information collection request, explanatory information and related form, contact John A. Trelease at [phone], or electronically to [e-mail].

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)]. OSM has submitted a request to OMB to renew its approval of the collection of information contained in: Permanent Program Performance Standards—Underground Mining Activities at 30 CFR 817. OSM is requesting a 3-year term of approval for the information collection activity.

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 1029-0048.

As required under 5 CFR 1320.8(d), a Federal Register notice soliciting comments on this collection of information was published on February 16, 2001 (66 FR 10742). 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: Permanent Program Performance Standards—Underground Mining Activities, 30 CFR 817.

OMB Control Number: 1029-0048.

Summary: Sections 515 and 516 of the Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act of 1977 provide that permittees conducting surface coal mining operations with underground mining activities shall meet all applicable performance standards of the Act. The information collected is used by the regulatory authority in monitoring and inspecting surface coal mining activities to ensure that they are conducted in compliance with the requirements of the Act.

Bureau Form Number: None.

Frequency of Collection: On occasion, quarterly and annually.

Description of Respondents: Underground coal mining operators.

Total Annual Responses: 20,745.

Total Annual Burden Hours: 95,618.

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 burdens on respondents, such as use of automated means of collections of the information, to the following addresses.

addresses:

Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs, Office of Management and Budget, Attention: Department of Interior Desk Officer, 725 17th Street, NW., Washington, DC 20503. Also, please send a copy of your comments to John A. Trelease, Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement, 1951 Constitution Ave., NW., Room 210—SIB, Washington, DC 20240, or electronically to [e-mail].

Dated: April 17, 2001.

Richard G. Bryson,

Chief, Division of Regulatory Support.