[Federal Register Volume 80, Number 164 (Tuesday, August 25, 2015)]
[Notices]
[Pages 51595-51597]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2015-20927]
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
Office of Natural Resources Revenue
[Docket No. ONRR-2011-0019; DS63610000 DR2PS0000.CH7000 156D0102R2]
Agency Information Collection Activities: Accounts Receivable
Confirmations--OMB Control Number 1012-0001; Comment Request
AGENCY: Office of Natural Resources Revenue (ONRR), Interior.
ACTION: Notice of extension.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
SUMMARY: To comply with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (PRA), ONRR
is inviting comments on a collection of information requests that we
will submit to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for review and
approval. This Information Collection Request (ICR) covers the
paperwork requirements under the Chief Financial Officers Act of 1990
(CFO).
DATES: Submit written comments on or before October 26, 2015.
ADDRESSES: You may submit comments on this ICR to ONRR by using one of
the following three methods (please reference ``ICR 1012-0001'' in your
comments):
1. Electronically go to http://www.regulations.gov. In the entry
titled ``Enter Keyword or ID,'' enter ``ONRR-2011-0019'' and then click
``Search.'' Follow the instructions to submit public comments. ONRR
will post all comments.
2. Mail comments to Mr. Luis Aguilar, Regulatory Specialist, ONRR,
P.O. Box 25165, MS 61030A, Denver, Colorado 80225-0165.
3. Hand-carry or mail comments, using an overnight courier service,
to ONRR. Our courier address is Building 85, Room A-614, Denver Federal
Center, West 6th Ave. and Kipling St., Denver, Colorado 80225.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For questions on technical issues,
contact Mr. Hans Meingast, Financial Management, MRM, ONRR, telephone
(303) 231-3382 or email at [email protected]. For other questions,
contact Mr. Luis Aguilar, telephone (303) 231-3418, or email at
[email protected]. You may also contact Mr. Aguilar to obtain
copies, at no cost, of (1) the ICR, (2) any associated form, and (3)
the regulations that require us to collect the information.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
I. Abstract
The Secretary of the United States Department of the Interior is
responsible
[[Page 51596]]
for collecting royalties from lessees who produce minerals from leased
Federal and Indian lands and the Outer-Continental Shelf (OCS). The
Secretary's responsibility, under various laws, is to manage mineral
resource production from Federal and Indian lands and the OCS, collect
the royalties and other mineral revenues due, and distribute the funds
collected under those laws. ONRR performs the royalty management
functions for the Secretary.
We have posted those laws pertaining to mineral leases on Federal
and Indian lands and the OCS at http://www.onrr.gov/Laws_R_D/PubLaws/default.htm.
Minerals produced from Federal and Indian leases vary greatly in
the nature of occurrence, production, and processing methods. When a
company or an individual enters into a lease to explore, develop,
produce, and dispose of minerals from Federal or Indian lands, that
company or individual agrees to pay the lessor a share in an amount or
value of production from the leased lands. The regulations require the
lessee to report various kinds of information to the lessor relative to
the disposition of the leased minerals. Such information is generally
available within the records of the lessee or others involved in
developing, transporting, processing, purchasing, or selling such
minerals. The information we collect includes data necessary to ensure
that lessees accurately value production and appropriately pay
royalties.
Companies submit financial information monthly to ONRR on Forms
ONRR-2014, Report of Sales and Royalty Remittance (OMB Control Number
1012-0004), and ONRR-4430, Solid Minerals Production and Royalty Report
(OMB Control Number 1012-0010).
Every year, under the Chief Financial Officer (CFO), the
Department's Office of Inspector General, or its agent (agent), audits
the Department's financial statements. The Department's goal is to
receive an unqualified opinion. Accounts receivable confirmations are a
common practice in the audit business. Due to continuously increasing
scrutiny on financial audits, third-party confirmation of the validity
of ONRR's financial records is necessary.
As part of the CFO audit, the agent selects a sample of accounts
receivable items and provides the sample items to ONRR. ONRR then
identifies the company names and addresses for the sample items
selected, and creates accounts receivable confirmation letters. In
order to meet the CFO requirements, the letters must be on ONRR
letterhead; and the Deputy Director for ONRR, or his or her designee,
must sign the letters. The letter requests third-party confirmation
responses by a specified date on whether or not ONRR's accounts
receivable records agree with royalty payor records for the following
items: Customer identification; royalty/invoice number; payor-assigned
document number; date of ONRR receipt; original amount the payor
reported; and remaining balance due ONRR. The agent mails the letters
to the payors, instructing them to respond directly to the agent to
confirm the accuracy and validity of selected royalty receivable items
and amounts. Verifying the amounts reported and the balances due
requires research and analysis by payors.
We are requesting OMB's approval to continue to collect this
information. Not collecting this information would limit the
Secretary's ability to discharge the duties of the office. ONRR
protects proprietary information that payors submit, and there are no
questions of a sensitive nature included in this information
collection.
II. Data
Title: Accounts Receivable Confirmations.
OMB Control Number: 1012-0001.
Bureau Form Number: None.
Frequency: Annually.
Estimated Number and Description of Respondents: 24 randomly
selected Federal and Indian oil and gas and solid mineral royalty
payors.
Estimated Annual Reporting and Recordkeeping ``Hour'' Burden: 6
hours. We estimate that each response will take 15 minutes for payors
to complete.
Estimated Annual Reporting and Recordkeeping ``Non-hour'' Cost
Burden: We have identified no ``non-hour cost'' burden associated with
this collection of information.
Public Disclosure Statement: The PRA (44 U.S.C. 3501 et seq.)
provides that 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.
III. Request for Comments
Section 3506(c)(2)(A) of the PRA requires each agency to ``* * *
provide 60-day notice in the Federal Register * * * and otherwise
consult with members of the public and affected agencies concerning
each proposed collection of information * * *.'' Agencies must
specifically solicit comments to: (a) Evaluate whether the proposed
collection of information is necessary for the agency to perform its
duties, including whether the information is useful; (b) evaluate the
accuracy of the agency's estimate of the burden of the proposed
collection of information; (c) enhance the quality, usefulness, and
clarity of the information to be collected; and (d) minimize the burden
on the respondents, including the use of automated collection
techniques or other forms of information technology.
The PRA also requires agencies to estimate the total annual
reporting ``non-hour cost'' burden to respondents or recordkeepers
resulting from the collection of information. If you have costs to
generate, maintain, and disclose this information, you should comment
and provide your total capital and startup cost components or annual
operation, maintenance, and purchase of service components. You should
describe the methods you use to estimate major cost factors, including
system and technology acquisition, expected useful life of capital
equipment, discount rate(s), and the period over which you incur costs.
Capital and startup costs include, among other items, computers and
software you purchase to prepare for collecting information;
monitoring, sampling, and testing equipment; and record storage
facilities. Generally, your estimates should not include equipment or
services purchased: (i) Before October 1, 1995; (ii) to comply with
requirements not associated with the information collection; (iii) for
reasons other than to provide information or keep records for the
Government; or (iv) as part of customary and usual business or private
practices.
We will summarize written responses to this notice and address them
in our ICR submission for OMB approval, including appropriate
adjustments to the estimated burden. We will provide a copy of the ICR
to you without charge upon request. We also will post the ICR on our
Web site at http://www.onrr.gov/Laws_R_D/FRNotices/ICR0162.htm.
Public Comment Policy: ONRR will post all comments, including names
and addresses of respondents at http://www.regulations.gov. Before
including Personally Identifiable Information (PII), such as your
address, phone number, email address, or other personal information in
your comment(s), you should be aware that your entire comment
(including PII) may be made available to the public at any time. While
you may ask us, in your comment, to withhold PII from public view, we
cannot guarantee that we will be able to do so. An agency may not
conduct or sponsor, and a person is not required to respond to, a
collection of information unless it displays a
[[Page 51597]]
currently valid Office of Management and Budget control number.
Dated: August 13, 2015.
Gregory J. Gould,
Director, Office of Natural Resources Revenue.
[FR Doc. 2015-20927 Filed 8-24-15; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4335-30-P