Agency Information Collection Activities; Accounts Receivable Confirmations Reporting

AGENCY:

Office of Natural Resources Revenue (ONRR), Interior.

ACTION:

Notice of Information Collection; request for comment.

SUMMARY:

In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (“PRA”), ONRR is proposing to renew an information collection. Currently, the information collection is authorized by the Office of Management and Budget (“OMB”) under OMB Control Number 1012-0001, which expires on February 28, 2022. Through this Information Collection Request (“ICR”), ONRR seeks renewed authority to collect information related to the paperwork requirements under the Chief Financial Officers Act of 1990 (“CFO Act”) covering the collection of royalties and other mineral revenues due, which obligations are accounted for as accounts receivables.

DATES:

Interested persons are invited to submit comments on or before June 21, 2021.

ADDRESSES:

All comment submissions must (1) reference “OMB Control Number 1012-0001” in the subject line; (2) be sent to ONRR before the close of the comment period listed under DATES; and (3) be sent through one of the following two methods:

• Electronically via the Federal eRulemaking Portal: Please visit https://www.regulations.gov. In the Search Box, enter the Docket ID Number for this ICR renewal (“ONRR-2011-0019”) to locate the document and click the “Comment Now!” button. Follow the prompts to submit your comment prior to the close of the comment period.
• Email Submissions: For comments sent via email, please address them to Ms. Christine Thomas, Regulatory Specialist, ONRR, at Christine.Thomas@onrr.gov with the OMB Control Number (“OMB Control Number 1012-0001”) listed in the subject line of your email. Email submissions must be postmarked on or before the close of the comment period.

Docket: To access the docket to view the ICR Federal Register publications, go to https://www.regulations.gov and search “ONRR-2011-0019” 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 https://www.regulations.gov.

OMB ICR Data: You may also view information collection review data for this ICR, including past OMB approvals, at https://www.reginfo.gov/public/do/PRASearch. Under the “OMB Control Number” heading enter “1012-0001” 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 Ms. Jennifer Dougherty, Financial Management, RRCM, ONRR by email at Jennifer.Dougherty@onrr.gov or by telephone at (303) 231-3563. Individuals who are hearing or speech impaired may call the Federal Relay Service at 1-800-877-8339 for TTY assistance.

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 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 or not the collection of information is necessary for the proper performance of the functions of the agency, including whether or not 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; and

(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.

Comments that you submit in response to this 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.

Abstract: The Secretary of the United States Department of the Interior (“Secretary”) is responsible for mineral resource development on Federal and Indian lands and the Outer Continental Shelf. Laws pertaining to Federal and Indian mineral leases are posted at http://www.onrr.gov/Laws_R_D/PubLaws/default.htm. Pursuant to the Federal Oil and Gas Royalty Management Act of 1982 (“FOGRMA”) and other laws, the Secretary's responsibilities include maintaining a comprehensive inspection, collection, and fiscal and production accounting and auditing system that: (1) Accurately determines mineral royalties, interest, and other payments owed, (2) collects and accounts for such amounts in a timely manner, and (3) disburses the funds collected. See 30 U.S.C. 1701 and 1711. ONRR performs these mineral revenue management responsibilities for the Secretary. See Secretarial Order No. 3306.

(a) General Information: ONRR collects, audits, and disburses royalties, interest, and other payments owed by lessees on minerals produced from Federal and Indian lands. Such information is generally available within the records of the lessee of others involved in the development, transport, processing, purchase, or sale of such minerals. Specifically, companies submit financial information to ONRR on a monthly basis by submitting form ONRR-2014 (Report of Sales and Royalty Remittance for oil and gas reported in OMB Control Number 1012-0004), and form ONRR-4430 (Solid Minerals Production and Royalty Report reported in OMB Control Number 1012-0010). These royalty reports result in accounts receivables and capture most of the mineral revenues that ONRR collects.

The basis for the data that a company submits on forms ONRR-2014 and ONRR-4430 is generally available within the records of the lessee or others involved in developing, transporting, processing, purchasing, or selling such minerals. The information that ONRR collects under this ICR includes data necessary to ensure that ONRR's accounts receivables are accurately based on the value of the mineral production, as reported to ONRR on forms ONRR-2014 and ONRR-4430.

(b) Information Collections: Every year, under the Chief Financial Officers Act of 1990 (“CFO Act”), the Office of Inspector General (“OIG”) or its agent audits the accounts receivable portions of the Department of the Interior's financial statements, which includes accounts receivables based on ONRR forms ONRR-2014 and ONRR-4430. Accounts receivable confirmations are a common practice in the audit business. Due to a continuous increase in scrutiny of financial audits, a third-party confirmation of the validity of ONRR's financial records is necessary.

As part of CFO Act audits, the OIG or its agent selects a sample of accounts receivable items based on forms ONRR-2014 and ONRR-4430 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 Act's 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 ONRR's accounts receivable records agree with royalty payor records for the following items: (1) Customer identification; (2) royalty invoice number; (3) payor assigned document number; (4) date of ONRR receipt; (5) original amount the payor reported; and (6) remaining balance due to ONRR. The OIG or its agent mails the letters to the payors, instructing them to respond directly to confirm the accuracy and validity of selected royalty receivable items and amounts. In turn, it is the responsibility of the payors to verify, research, and analyze the amounts and balances reported on their respective forms ONRR-2014 and ONRR-4430.

Title of Collection: Accounts Receivable Confirmations.

OMB Control Number: 1012-0001.

Form Number: None.

Type of Review: Extension of a currently approved collection.

Respondents/Affected Public: Businesses.

Total Estimated Number of Annual Respondents: 24 randomly-selected mineral payors from Federal and Indian lands and the OCS.

Total Estimated Number of Annual Responses: 24.

Estimated Completion Time per Response: ONRR estimates that each response will take 15 minutes for payors to complete.

Total Estimated Number of Annual Burden Hours: 6 hours.

Respondent's Obligation: Voluntary.

Frequency of Collection: Annual.

Total Estimated Annual Non-Hour Burden Cost: ONRR did not identify any “non-hour cost” burden associated with this 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.

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