Agency Information Collection Activities; Submission to the Office of Management and Budget for Review and Approval; Surface Management Activities Under the General Mining Law

AGENCY:

Bureau of Land Management, Interior.

ACTION:

Notice of information collection; request for comment.

SUMMARY:

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

DATES:

Interested persons are invited to submit comments on or before March 1, 2023.

ADDRESSES:

Written comments and recommendations for this information collection request (ICR) should be sent within 30 days of publication of this notice to www.reginfo.gov/public/do/PRAMain. Find this particular information collection by selecting “Currently under 30-day Review—Open for Public Comments” or by using the search function.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

To request additional information about this Information Collection Request (ICR), contact Sabry Hanna by email at shanna@blm.gov, or by telephone at (571) 458-6644. 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. You may also view the ICR at http://www.reginfo.gov/public/do/PRAMain.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

In accordance with the PRA (44 U.S.C. 3501 et seq.) and 5 CFR 1320.8(d)(1), we invite the public and other Federal agencies to comment on new, proposed, revised and continuing collections of information. This helps the BLM assess impacts of its information collection requirements and minimize the public's reporting burden. It also helps the public understand BLM information collection requirements and ensure requested data are provided 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 November 9, 2022 (87 FR 67714). One comment was received in response to this notice. The comment, along with the BLM's response, is summarized in the request submitted to OMB.

As part of our continuing effort to reduce paperwork and respondent burdens, we are again inviting the public and other Federal agencies to comment on the proposed ICR described below. The BLM is especially interested in public comment 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 our 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 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 submitted 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: The control number enables the BLM to determine whether operators and mining claimants are meeting their responsibility to prevent unnecessary or undue degradation while conducting exploration and mining activities on public lands under mining laws. This OMB Control Number is currently scheduled to expire on April 30, 2023. The BLM plans to request that OMB renew this OMB Control Number for an additional three years.

Title of Collection: Surface Management Activities under the General Mining Law (43 CFR Subpart 3809).

OMB Control Number: 1004-0194.

Form Numbers: 3809-1, Surface Management Surety Bond; 3809-2, Surface Management Personal Bond; 3809-4, Bond Rider Extending Coverage of Bond to Assume Liabilities for Operations Conducted by Parties Other Than the Principal; 3809-4a, Surface Management Personal Bond Rider and; 3809-5, Notification of Change of Operator and Assumption of Past Liability.

Type of Review: Extension of a currently approved collection.

Respondents/Affected Public: Operators and mining claimants.

Total Estimated Number of Annual Respondents: 1,304.

Total Estimated Number of Annual Responses: 1,304.

Estimated Completion Time per Response: Varies from 1 to several hours per response.

Total Estimated Number of Annual Burden Hours: 158,053.

Respondent's Obligation: Required to obtain or retain a benefit.

Frequency of Collection: On occasion.

Total Estimated Annual Nonhour Burden Cost: $4,240 for notarizing Forms 3809-2 and 3809-4a.

An agency may not conduct or sponsor and, notwithstanding any other provision of law, 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.).