04-12867. Extension of Approved Information Collections, OMB Control Numbers 1004-0145, 1004-0184, and 1004-0185

AGENCY:

Bureau of Land Management, Interior.

ACTION:

Notice and request for comments.

SUMMARY:

In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) is requesting the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) to extend existing approvals to collect certain information from lessees, operators, record title holders, operating rights owners, and the general public on oil and gas and operations on Federal lands.

DATES:

You must submit your comments to BLM at the address below on or before August 9, 2004. BLM will not necessarily consider any comments received after the above date.

ADDRESSES:

You may mail comments to: Bureau of Land Management, (WO-630), Eastern States Office, 7450 Boston Blvd., Springfield, Virginia 22153.

You may send comments via Internet to: [e-mail]. Please include “ATTN: 1004-0145, 1004-0184, and 1004-0185” and your name and return address in your Internet message.

You may deliver comments to the Bureau of Land Management, Administration Record, Room 401, 1620 L Street, NW., Washington, DC.

All comments will be available for public review at the L Street address during regular business hours (7:45 a.m. to 4:15 p.m.), Monday through Friday except Federal holidays.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

You may contact Barbara Gamble, on [phone] (Commercial or FTS). Persons who use a telecommunication device for the deaf (TDD) may call the Federal Information Relay Service (FIRS) on 1-800-877-8330, 24 hours a day, seven days a week, to contact Ms. Gamble.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

5 CFR 1320.12(a) requires that we provide a 60-day notice in the Federal Register concerning a collection of information to solicit comments on:

(1) Whether the collection of information is necessary for the proper functioning of the agency, including whether the information will have practical utility;

(2) The accuracy of our estimates of the information collection burden, including the validity of the methodology and assumptions we use;

(3) Ways to enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of the information collected; and

(4) Ways to minimize the information collection burden on those who are required to respond, including the use of appropriate automated, electronic, mechanical, or other technological collection techniques or other forms of information technology.

The Mineral Leasing Act of 1920 (MLA), 30 U.S.C. et seq., gives the Secretary of the Interior responsibility for oil and gas leasing on approximately 570 million acres of public lands and national forests, and private lands where the mineral rights are reserved by the Federal Government. The Act of May 21, 1930 (30 U.S.C. 301-306), authorizes the leasing of oil and gas deposits under railroads and other rights-of-way. The Act of August 7, 1947, (Mineral Leasing Act of Acquired Lands), authorizes the Secretary to lease lands acquired by the United States (30 U.S.C. 341-359). The regulations under 43 CFR 3000 et al. authorize BLM to manage the oil and gas leasing and exploration activities. Without the information, BLM would not be able to analyze and approve oil and gas leasing and exploration activities.

BLM collects nonform information on oil and gas leasing and exploration activities when the lessee, record title holder, operating rights owner, or operator files any of the following information for BLM to adjudicate:

Information Collection 1004-0145

43 CFR	Information collection requirements	Number of responses	Reporting hours per respondent	Total hours
3100.3-1	Notice of option holdings	30	1	30
3100.3-3	Option statement	50	1	50
3101.2-4(a)	Excess acreage petition	10	1	10
3101.2-6	Showings statement	10	1.5	15
3101.3-1	Joinder evidence statement	50	1	50
3103.4-1	Waiver, suspension, reduction of rental, etc.	20	2	40
3105.2	Communitization or drilling agreement	150	2	300
3105.3	Operating, drilling, development contracts interest statement	50	2	100
3105.4	Joint operations; transportation of oil applications	20	1	20
3105.5	Subsurface storage application	50	1	50
3106.8-1	Heirs and devisee statement	40	1	40
3106.8-2	Change of name report	60	1	60
3106.8-3	Corporate merger notice	100	2	200
3107.8	Lease renewal application	30	1	30
3108.1	Relinquishments	150	.5	75
3108.2	Reinstatement petition	500	.5	250
3109.1	Leasing under rights-of-way application	20	1	20
3120.1-1(e)	Lands available for leasing	280	2.5	700
3120.1-3	Protests and appeals	90	1.5	135
3152.1	Oil and gas exploration in Alaska application	20	1	20
3152.6	Data collection	20	1	20
3152.7	Completion of operations report	20	1	20
Totals		1,770		2,235

Information Collection 1004-0184

43 CFR	Information collection requirements	Total respondents	Reporting hours per respondent	Total burden hours
3121.12	Competitive leasing nomination	1,400	.25	350
3124.32	Lease consolidation	10	2	20
3125.11	Lease exchange	25	.25	6.25
3103.10(aa); 3153.37	LACT meter proving report	200	10 minutes	33.33
3103.10(bb); 3154.33	Gas charts; meter proving reports	1,000	.25	250
3103.10(dd)	Meter proving or calibration	5,000	5 minutes	416.67
3103	Oral notification	6,000	5 minutes	500
3103.10(i)	&sbull Construction start-up
3103.10(j)	Spud notice
3103.10(m)	Running surface casing; BOP test
3103.10(o)	Reserve pit closure
3103.10(x)	Theft; production mishandling
3103.10(z)	LACT meter proving
	Leak detection system
3103.10(ee)	Produced water pit completion
3103.10(ff)	Spill; accident
103.10(gg)	Well abandonment
3103.10(ii)	Concentration of H2 S
3103.10(ll); 3145.43
3136.10	Drainage agreement	5	10	50
3137.13	Unit Agreement	60	40	2,400
3137.64	Participating Area	45	12	540
3145.18	Notice of Staking	1,500	.25	375
3145.51(a)(3)	Remediation	100	5	500
3151.10(c)	Off-lease measurement	300	1	300
3151.10(d)	Commingling	500	.5	250
3164.15	Civil penalties	100	.5	50
3107.53	Bond decrease	100	1	100
3107.56 and 3145.23	Bond increase	6,600	.5	3,300
	Total	22,945		9,441.25

BLM collects the information in the regulations that address oil and gas drainage and no form is required.

Information Collection 1004-0185

Type of drainage analysis	Number of analyses	Hours
Preliminary	1,000	2,000
Detailed	100	2,400
Additional	10	200
Total	1,110	4,600

Based upon our experience managing oil and gas activities, we estimate for the combined information collection 25,825 responses per year and annual information burden is 16,276 hours.

BLM will summarize all responses to this notice and include them in the request for OMB approval. All comments will become a matter of public record.

Dated: June 1, 2004.

Michael H. Schwartz,

Bureau of Land Management, Information Collection Clearance Officer.