2018-13579. Agency Information Collection Activities; Submission to the Office of Management and Budget for Review and Approval; Conveyance of Federally-Owned Mineral Interests

AGENCY:

Bureau of Land Management, Interior.

ACTION:

Notice of information collection; request for comment.

SUMMARY:

In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) is proposing to renew an information collection.

DATES:

Interested persons are invited to submit comments on or before July 25, 2018.

ADDRESSES:

Send written comments on this Information Collection Request (ICR) to the Office of Management and Budget's Desk Officer for the Department of the Interior by email at [e-mail]; or via facsimile to [phone]. Please provide a copy of your comments to the U.S. Department of the Interior, BLM, 1849 C Street NW, Room 2134LM, Washington, DC 20240, Attention: Jean Sonneman; or by email to [e-mail]. Please reference OMB Control Number 1004-0153 in the subject line of your comments.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

To request additional information about this ICR, contact Chantel Jordan by email at [e-mail], or by telephone at 202-912-7514. You may also view the ICR at http://www.reginfo.gov/​public/​do/​PRAMain.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, the BLM provides the general public and other Federal agencies with an opportunity to comment on new, proposed, revised, and continuing collections of information. This helps us assess the impact of our information collection requirements and minimize the public's reporting burden. It also helps the public understand our information collection requirements and provide the requested data in the desired format.

A Federal Register notice with a 60-day public comment period soliciting comments on this collection of information was published on January 16, 2018 (83 FR 2183). The comment period closed on March 19, 2018. On April 11, 2018, 23 days after the comment period closed, the BLM received two comments via email. The comments referred specifically to the Bears Ears National Monument.

Except for the mention of the OMB control number in the title of each comment, the comments did not mention the information collection, and the BLM has taken no action to revise the information collection in response to the comments. The BLM Information Collection Clearance Officer has forwarded the comments to the appropriate BLM staff for consideration.

The BLM is again soliciting comments on the proposed ICR that is described below. We are especially interested in public comment addressing the following issues: (1) Is the collection necessary to the proper functions of the BLM; (2) will this information be processed and used in a timely manner; (3) is the estimate of burden accurate; (4) how might the BLM enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of the information to be collected; and (5) how might the BLM minimize the burden of this collection on the respondents, including through the use of information technology.

Comments that you submit in response to this notice are a matter of public record. 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.

Abstract: Section 209(b) of the Federal Land Policy and Management Act (43 U.S.C. 1719) authorizes the Secretary of the Interior to convey Federally-owned mineral interests to non-Federal owners of the surface estate. The respondents in this information collection are non-Federal owners of surface estates who apply for underlying Federally-owned mineral interests. This information collection enables the BLM to determine if the applicants are eligible to receive title to the Federally-owned mineral interests beneath their lands. Regulations at 43 CFR part 2720 establish guidelines and procedures for the processing of these applications.

Title of Collection: Conveyance of Federally-Owned Mineral Interests.

OMB Control Number: 1004-0153.

Form Numbers: None.

Type of Review: Extension of a currently approved collection.

Respondents/Affected Public: Owners of surface estates (i.e., individuals, businesses, or state, local, or tribal governments) that want to obtain underlying Federally-owned mineral estates.

Total Estimated Number of Annual Respondents: 5.

Total Estimated Number of Annual Responses: 5.

Estimated Completion Time per Response: 1 hour.

Total Estimated Number of Annual Burden Hours: 5.

Respondent's Obligation: Required to Obtain or Retain a Benefit.

Frequency of Collection: On occasion.

Total Estimated Annual Nonhour Burden Cost: $250.

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 authority for this action is the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (44 U.S.C. 3501 et seq.).

Jean Sonneman,

Information Collection Clearance Officer, Bureau of Land Management.