Renewal of Approved Information Collection; OMB Control No. 1004-0025

AGENCY:

Bureau of Land Management, Interior.

ACTION:

30-day notice and request for comments.

SUMMARY:

The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) has submitted an information collection request to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) to continue the collection of information regarding applications for fee title to Federal Lands embraced in hardrock mineral claims. The Office of Management and Budget (OMB) previously approved this information collection activity, and assigned it control number 1004-0025.

DATES:

The OMB is required to respond to this information collection request within 60 days but may respond after 30 days. For maximum consideration, written comments should be received on or before March 11, 2016.

ADDRESSES:

Please submit comments directly to the Desk Officer for the Department of the Interior (OMB #1004- 0025), Office of Management and Budget, Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs, fax 202-395-5806, or by electronic mail at oira_submission@omb.eop.gov. Please provide a copy of your comments to the BLM. You may do so via mail, fax, or electronic mail.

Mail: U.S. Department of the Interior, Bureau of Land Management, 1849 C Street NW., Room 2134LM, Attention: Jean Sonneman, Washington, DC 20240.

Fax: to Jean Sonneman at 202-245-0050.

Electronic mail: Jean_Sonneman@blm.gov.

Please indicate “Attn: 1004-0025” regardless of the form of your comments.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Sonia Santillan, at 202-912-7123. Persons who use a telecommunication device for the deaf (TDD) may call the Federal Information Relay Service (FIRS) at 1-800-877-8339, to leave a message for Ms. Santillan. You may also review the information collection request online at http://www.reginfo.gov/public/do/PRAMain.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

The Paperwork Reduction Act (44 U.S.C. 3501-3521) and OMB regulations at 5 CFR part 1320 provide that an agency may not conduct or sponsor a collection of information unless it displays a currently valid OMB control number. Until OMB approves a collection of information, you are not obligated to respond. In order to obtain and renew an OMB control number, Federal agencies are required to seek public comment on information collection and recordkeeping activities (see 5 CFR 1320.8(d) and 1320.12(a)).

As required at 5 CFR 1320.8(d), the BLM published a 60-day notice in the Federal Register on October 7, 2015 (80 FR 60709), and the comment period ended December 7, 2015. The BLM received no comments. The BLM now requests comments on the following subjects:

1. Whether the collection of information is necessary for the proper functioning of the BLM, including whether the information will have practical utility;

2. The accuracy of the BLM's estimate of the burden of collecting the information, including the validity of the methodology and assumptions used;

3. The quality, utility and clarity of the information to be collected; and

4. How to minimize the information collection burden on those who are to respond, including the use of appropriate automated, electronic, mechanical, or other forms of information technology.

Please send comments as directed under ADDRESSES and DATES. Please refer to OMB control number 1004-0025 in your correspondence. 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.

The following information is provided for the information collection:

Title: Mineral Surveys, Mineral Patent Applications, Adverse Claims, Protests, and Contests (43 CFR parts 3860 and 3870).

OMB Control Number: 1004-0025.

Abstract: On its face, the General Mining Law (30 U.S.C. 29, 30, and 39) authorizes a holder of an unpatented claim for hardrock minerals to apply for fee title (patent) to the federal land (as well as minerals) embraced in the claim. Since 1994, a rider on the annual appropriation bill for the Department of the Interior has prevented the BLM from processing mineral patent applications unless the applications were grandfathered under the initial legislation. While grandfathered applications are rare at present, the approval to collect the information continues to be necessary because of the possibility that the moratorium will be lifted.

Frequency of Collection: Once.

Form: Certificate of Title on Mining Claims (Form 3860-2) and Application for Survey on Mining Claim (Form 3860-5).

Description of Respondents: Owners of unpatented mining claims and mill sites upon the public lands, and of reserved mineral lands of the United States, National Forests, and National Parks.

Estimated Annual Burdens: 10 responses.

Estimated Hour Burden: 559 hours.

Estimated “Non-Hour Cost” Burden: $174,205.

The “Non-Hour Cost” burden estimate includes $14,005 for fixed document processing fees, $1,200 for publication cost, and $159,000 for case-by-case fee for validity examinations.