Agency Information Collection Activities: Federal Oil and Gas Valuation; OMB Control Number 1012-0005

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Published

January 9, 2023

Issuing agencies

Interior DepartmentNatural Resources Revenue Office

Abstract

In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 ("PRA"), ONRR is proposing to renew an information collection. Through this Information Collection Request ("ICR"), ONRR seeks renewed authority to collect information necessary to (1) verify proper reporting and payment of royalties and other amounts due pursuant to Federal oil and gas leases; (2) determine requests for prepayment or accounting and auditing relief for certain marginal properties; and (3) determine requests to exceed transportation and processing allowance limits. ONRR uses form ONRR-4393 (Request to Exceed Regulatory Allowance Limitation) as part of these information collection requirements.

Full Text

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<title>Federal Register, Volume 88 Issue 5 (Monday, January 9, 2023)</title>
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[Federal Register Volume 88, Number 5 (Monday, January 9, 2023)]
[Notices]
[Pages 1290-1291]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [<a href="http://www.gpo.gov">www.gpo.gov</a>]
[FR Doc No: 2023-00113]

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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Office of Natural Resources Revenue

[Docket No. ONRR-2012-0006; DS63644000 DRT000000.CH7000 223D1113RT]

Agency Information Collection Activities: Federal Oil and Gas
Valuation; OMB Control Number 1012-0005

AGENCY: Office of Natural Resources Revenue (``ONRR''), Interior.

ACTION: Notice of information collection; request for comment.

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SUMMARY: In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995
(``PRA''), ONRR is proposing to renew an information collection.
Through this Information Collection Request (``ICR''), ONRR seeks
renewed authority to collect information necessary to (1) verify proper
reporting and payment of royalties and other amounts due pursuant to
Federal oil and gas leases; (2) determine requests for prepayment or
accounting and auditing relief for certain marginal properties; and (3)
determine requests to exceed transportation and processing allowance
limits. ONRR uses form ONRR-4393 (Request to Exceed Regulatory
Allowance Limitation) as part of these information collection
requirements.

DATES: You must submit your written comments on or before February 8,
2023.

ADDRESSES: All comment submissions must (1) reference ``OMB Control
Number 1012-0005'' in the subject line; (2) be sent to ONRR before the
close of the comment period listed under DATES; and (3) be sent using
the following method:
<bullet> Electronically via the Federal eRulemaking Portal: Please
visit <a href="https://www.regulations.gov">https://www.regulations.gov</a>. In the Search Box, enter the Docket
ID Number for this ICR renewal (``ONRR-2012-0006'') and click
``search'' to view the publications associated with the docket folder.
Locate the document with an open comment period and click the ``Comment
Now!'' button. Follow the prompts to submit your comment prior to the
close of the comment period.
Docket: To access the docket folder to view the ICR Federal
Register publications, go to <a href="https://www.regulations.gov">https://www.regulations.gov</a> and search
``ONRR-2012-0006'' to view renewal notices recently published in the
Federal Register, publications associated with prior renewals, and
applicable public comments received for this ICR. ONRR will make the
comments submitted in response to this notice available for public
viewing at <a href="https://www.regulations.gov">https://www.regulations.gov</a>.
OMB ICR Data: OMB also maintains information on ICR renewals and
approvals. You may access this information at <a href="https://www.reginfo.gov/public/do/PRASearch">https://www.reginfo.gov/public/do/PRASearch</a>. Please use the following instructions: Under the
``OMB Control Number'' heading enter ``1012-0005'' and click the
``Search'' button located at the bottom of the page. To view the ICR
renewal or OMB approval status, click on the latest entry (based on the
most recent date). On the ``View ICR--OIRA Conclusion'' page, check the
box next to ``All'' to display all available ICR information provided
by OMB.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: To request additional information
about this ICR, please contact Peter Christnacht, Royalty Valuation
Guidance, ONRR, by email at <a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#b9e9dccddccb97fad1cbd0cacdd7d8dad1cdf9d6d7cbcb97ded6cf"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="cd9da8b9a8bfe38ea5bfa4beb9a3acaea5b98da2a3bfbfe3aaa2bb">[email&#160;protected]</span></a> or by telephone
at (303) 231-3651. Individuals in the United States who are deaf,
deafblind, hard of hearing, or have a speech disability may dial 711
(TTY, TDD, or TeleBraille) to access telecommunications relay services.
Individuals outside the United States should use the relay services
offered within their country to make international calls to the point-
of-contact in the United States.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Pursuant to the PRA, 44 U.S.C. 3501, et
seq., and 5 CFR 1320.5, all information collections, as defined in 5
CFR 1320.3, require approval by OMB. ONRR may not conduct or sponsor,
and you are not required to respond to, a collection of information
unless it displays a currently valid OMB control number.
As part of ONRR's continuing effort to reduce paperwork and
respondent burdens, ONRR is inviting the public and other Federal
agencies to comment on new, proposed, revised, and continuing
collections of information in accordance with the PRA and 5 CFR
1320.8(d)(1). This helps ONRR to assess the impact of its information
collection requirements and minimize the public's reporting burden. It
also helps the public understand ONRR's information collection
requirements and provide the requested data in the desired format.
ONRR is especially interested in public comments addressing the
following:
(1) Whether the collection of information is necessary for the
proper performance of the functions of the agency, including whether
the information will have practical utility.
(2) The accuracy of ONRR's estimate of the burden for this
collection of information, including the validity of the methodology
and assumptions used.
(3) Ways to enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of the
information to be collected.
(4) How might the agency minimize the burden of the collection of
information on those who are to respond, including through the use of
appropriate automated, electronic, mechanical, or other technological
collection techniques or other forms of information technology, e.g.,
permitting electronic submission of response.
As required in 5 CFR 1320.8(d), ONRR published a 60-day notice, for
review and comment, in the Federal Register on May 26th, 2022 (87 FR
32050). ONRR received two comments from <a href="http://www.regulations.gov">www.regulations.gov</a>.

1. Comment From United Tribal Nations Organization

Comment: All Ongwhehonwhe, Native American people are to receive
Royalties from all assets, also the rights to their inherited lands, No
nation shall have restricted lands/federal trust!! No non-natives are
to have any claim to any resources as these all belong to the
Ongwhehonwhe, The Original People of these lands.
ONRR Response: ONRR appreciates the comment and feedback, however
this Information Collection Request is related to Federal lands, not
Tribal lands.

Comment From Anonymous

Comment: I agree with the content of this Information Collection
Request.

[[Page 1291]]

ONRR Response: ONRR appreciates the comment and feedback.
ONRR acknowledged and provided responses to all commenters
accordingly.
Comments that you submit in response to this 30-day notice are a
matter of public record. ONRR will include or summarize each comment in
its request to OMB to approve this ICR. 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 ONRR in your comment to
withhold your personal identifying information from public review, ONRR
cannot guarantee that it will be able to do so.

(a) Abstract--General Information

ONRR reviews and audits the reporting and payment of royalties and
other amounts due to the United States pursuant to Federal oil and gas
leases. See U.S. Department of the Interior Departmental Manual, 112 DM
34.1 (Sept. 9, 2020). ONRR's responsibilities include valuing oil and
gas for royalty purposes, evaluating claimed transportation and
processing allowances, and granting royalty prepayment, accounting, and
other relief for marginal properties in appropriate circumstances. ONRR
collects the information covered by this ICR for these purposes. ONRR
shares information with the Bureau of Land Management, Bureau of Indian
Affairs, Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement, Bureau of
Ocean Energy Management, and State governments for their land and lease
management responsibilities.

(b) Federal Oil and Gas Royalties and Valuation

Title 30 CFR part 1202--Royalties, subparts B and C, and 30 CFR
part 1206--Product Valuation, subparts C and D, require a lessee to
provide certain information necessary to calculate royalties due to the
United States. Information collected under these subparts is used for
oil and gas valuation, calculating and allocating transportation and
processing allowances, determining location and quality differentials,
and allocating residue gas and gas plant products to leases. See
Sec. Sec. 1206.102, 1206.108, 1206.110, 1206.113, 1206.141, 1206.142,
1206.148, 1206.150, 1206.152 to 1206.154, 1206.160, and 1206.161.
Some information collected under parts 1202 and 1206 is submitted
on form ONRR-2014 (Report of Sales and Royalty Remittance). This ICR
does not include burden hours for submitting information on form ONRR-
2014 because those burden hours are addressed in ONRR's ICR 1012-0004
(Royalty and Production Reporting). See Agency Information Collection
Activities; Royalty and Production Reporting, 87 FR 3300 (January 21,
2022).

Title 30 U.S.C 1726 and 30 CFR part 1204 allow ONRR or a State that
receives a statutorily prescribed portion of the royalties from a
Federal lease to grant certain relief for marginal properties. This
relief includes allowing a lessee to make a lump-sum advance payment of
royalties instead of monthly royalty payments and various accounting
and auditing relief options. See 30 CFR 1204.3. Lessees must submit
information to ONRR for this relief. See Sec. Sec. 1204.202, 1204.203,
1204.205, 1204.206, and 1204.209 to 1204.211.

(d) Requests To Exceed Allowance Limits

Title 30 CFR part 1206--Product Valuation, subparts C and D, prior
to their amendment effective January 1, 2017, permitted a Federal oil
and gas lessee to request to exceed certain caps that ONRR's
regulations place on transportation and processing allowances by filing
form ONRR-4393 (Request to Exceed Regulatory Allowance Limitation),
with supporting documentation. See Sec. Sec. 1206.109(c)(2) (2016),
1206.153(c)(3) (2016), and 1206.158(c)(3) (2016). Subject to the
statute of limitations, a lessee may file this form to request to
exceed the caps for oil and gas produced prior to January 1, 2017.
This ICR does not include burden hours for submitting information
on form ONRR-4393 for Indian leases because those burden hours are
addressed in ONRR's ICR 1012-0002 (Indian Oil and Gas Valuation).
(e) Information Collections: This ICR covers the paperwork
requirements under 30 CFR parts 1202, 1204, and 1206.
Title of Collection: Federal Oil and Gas Valuation--30 CFR parts
1202, 1204 and 1206.
OMB Control Number: 1012-0005.
Form Number: ONRR-4393.
Type of Review: Extension of a currently approved collection.
Respondents/Affected Public: Businesses.
Total Estimated Number of Annual Respondents: 120 Federal lessees/
designees and 7 States for Federal oil and gas.
Total Estimated Number of Annual Responses: 139.
Estimated Completion Time per Response: The average completion time
is 71.32 hours per response. The average completion time is calculated
by dividing the total estimated burden hours (9,913) by the estimated
annual responses (139).
Estimated Number of Annual Burden Hours: 9,913 hours.
For this renewal cycle, the burden hours have decreased 105 hours
in part 1206 due to the Consolidated Federal and Indian Oil & Gas and
Federal & Indian Coal Valuation Reform Final Reform Rule published on
July 1, 2016 (81 FR 43337), and effective January 1, 2017.
Respondent's Obligation: The information that a lessee must submit
pursuant to 30 CFR parts 1202 and 1206 for calculating royalties and
other payment obligations for Federal oil and gas leases is mandatory.
The information that a lessee must submit to obtain prepayment,
accounting, or auditing relief for qualifying Federal marginal
properties or to exceed the transportation and processing regulatory
caps for oil and gas produced prior to 2017 is required to obtain or
retain a benefit.
Frequency of Collection: Annually and on occasion.
Estimated Annual Nonhour Burden Cost: ONRR has identified no
``nonhour'' cost burden associated with the collection of information.
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.
Authority: Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (44 U.S.C. 3501 et seq).

Howard Cantor,
Acting Director, Office of Natural Resources Revenue.
[FR Doc. 2023-00113 Filed 1-6-23; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4335-30-P

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