Notice of Proposed Information Collection

The Office of Management and Budget (OMB) regulations at 5 CFR 1320, which implement provisions of the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (Pub. L. 104-13), require that interested members of the public and affected agencies have an opportunity to comment on information collection and recordkeeping activities

(see 5 CFR 1320.8(d)). OSM has submitted two requests to OMB to renew its approval of the collections of information contained in: 30 CFR part 780, Surface Mining Permit Applications--Minimum Requirements for Reclamation and Operation Plans; and 30 CFR part 887, Subsidence Insurance Program Grants. OSM is requesting a 3-year term of approval for each information collection activity 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 OMB control numbers for these collections of information are 1029-0036 for part 780, and 1029-0107 for part 887. As required under 5 CFR 1320.8(d), a Federal Register notice soliciting comments on these collections of information was published on April 16, 1999 (64 FR 18934). No comments were received. This notice provides the public with an additional 30 days in which to comment on the following information collection activities: Title: Surface Mining Permit Applications--Minimum Requirements for Reclamation and Operation Plan--30 CFR 780. OMB Control Number: 1029-0036. Summary: Permit application requirements in sections 507(b), 508(a), 510(b), 515(b) and (d), and 552 of Pub. L. 95-87 require the applicant to submit the operations and reclamation plan for coal mining activities. Information collection is needed to determine whether the mining and reclamation plan will achieve the reclamation and environmental protections pursuant to the Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act. Without this information, Federal and State regulatory authorities cannot review and approve permit application requests. Bureau Form Number: None. Frequency of Collection: Once. Description of Respondents: Applicants for surface coal mine permits. Total Annual Responses: 420. Total Annual Burden Hours: 186,081. Title: Subsidence Insurance Programs Grants--30 CFR 887. OMB Control Number: 1029-0107. Summary: States and Indian tribes having an approved reclamation plan may establish, administer and operate self-sustaining State and Indian Tribe-administered programs to insure private property against damages caused by land subsidence resulting from underground mining. States and Indian tribes interested in requesting monies for their insurance programs would apply to the Director of OSM. Bureau Form Number: None. Frquency of Collection: Once. Description of Respondents: States and Indian tribes with approved coal reclamation plans. Total Annual Responses: 1. Total Annual Burden Hours: 8. Send comments on the need for the collections of information for the performance of the functions of the agency; the accuracy of the agency's burden estimates; ways to enhance the quality, utility and clarity of the information collections; and ways to minimize the information collection burdens on respondents, such as use of automated means of collections of the information, to the following addresses. Please refer to OMB control number 1029-0036 for part 780, and 1029- 0107 for Part 887 in your correspondence.