Agency Information Collection Activities; Mineral Surveys, Mineral Patent Applications, Adverse Claims, Protests, and Contests

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 December 27, 2021.

ADDRESSES:

Send your written comments on this Information Collection Request (ICR) by mail to Darrin King, Information Collection Clearance Officer, U.S. Department of the Interior, Bureau of Land Management, Attention PRA Office, 440 W 200 S #500, Salt Lake City, UT 84101; or by email to BLM_HQ_PRA_Comments@blm.gov. Please reference Office of Management and Budget (OMB) Control Number 1004-0025 in the subject line of your comments. Please note that due to COVID-19, the electronic submission of comments is recommended.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

To request additional information about this ICR, contact Elaine Guenaga by email at eguenaga@blm.gov, or by telephone at 775-276-0287. Individuals who are hearing or speech impaired may call the Federal Relay Service at 1-800-877-8339 for TTY assistance. 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), all information collections require approval under the PRA. The BLM 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 our continuing effort to reduce paperwork and respondent burdens, we invite the public and other Federal agencies to comment on new, proposed, revised, and continuing collections of information. This helps us assess the impact of our information collection requirements and minimize the public's reporting burden. It also helps the public understand our information collection requirements and provide the requested data in the desired format.

We are especially interested in public comment 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 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 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. We will include or summarize each comment in our 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 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 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. Division G, Title I of the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2021 (H.R. 133), 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 and applicable regulations that contain the information are still part of the Code of Federal Regulations.

There are no proposed program or other policy changes requested. The BLM will be adjusting the non-hour cost burden from $255,375 to $256,425, an increase of $1,050. The adjustment results from updating costs estimates.

OMB control number 1004-0025 is scheduled to expire on February 28, 2022. This request is for OMB to renew this OMB control number for an additional three (3) years.

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

OMB Control Number: 1004-0025.

Form Numbers: 3860-2 and 3860-5.

Type of Review: Extension of a currently approved collection.

Respondents/Affected Public: 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.

Total Estimated Number of Annual Respondents: 1.

Total Estimated Number of Annual Responses: 10.

Estimated Completion Time per Response: Varies from 1-100 hours, depending on activity.

Total Estimated Number of Annual Burden Hours: 559.

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

Frequency of Collection: On occasion.

Total Estimated Annual Non-hour Burden Cost: $256,425.

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 PRA of 1995 (44 U.S.C. 3501 et seq. ).