Onshore Oil and Gas Leasing and Operations

[Federal Register Volume 64, Number 58 (Friday, March 26, 1999)]
[Proposed Rules]
[Pages 14666-14668]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 99-7440]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Bureau of Land Management

43 CFR Parts 3100, 3110, 3120, 3130, 3140, 3150, 3160, 3170, and 
3180

[WO-310-1310-00-2I-IP]
RIN 1004-AC94


Onshore Oil and Gas Leasing and Operations

AGENCY: Bureau of Land Management, Interior.

ACTION: Proposed rule; notice of extension of public comment period and 
notice of public hearings.

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[[Page 14667]]

SUMMARY: The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) is extending the public 
comment period on a Notice of Proposed Rule, published in the Federal 
Register on December 3, 1998 (63 FR 66840). The proposed rule would 
revise BLM's oil and gas leasing and operations regulations. The rule 
uses performance standards in certain instances in lieu of the current 
prescriptive requirements. It would also cite industry standards and 
incorporate them by reference rather than repeat those standards in the 
rule itself. Also, BLM's onshore orders and national notices to lessees 
would be incorporated into the regulations to eliminate overlap with 
existing regulations. The rule would increase certain minimum bond 
amounts and would revise and replace BLM's current unitization 
regulations with a more flexible unit agreement process. Finally, the 
proposed rule would eliminate redundancies, clarify procedures and 
regulatory requirements, and streamline processes. In response to 
public requests for additional time, BLM extends the comment period 60 
days from the original comment period closing date of April 5, 1999, to 
the extended comment period's closing date of June 4, 1999. BLM will 
also hold public hearings on the proposal.

DATES:
    Comments. Send your comments to BLM on or before June 4, 1999. BLM 
will consider comments received or postmarked on or before this date in 
preparing the final rule.
    Public hearings. BLM will hold public hearings on this proposed 
rule. The dates and times of the hearings are in the SUPPLEMENTARY 
INFORMATION section under ``Public hearings.''

ADDRESSES: Please send your comments to the Bureau of Land Management 
Administrative Record, Room 401 LS, 1849 C Street, NW., Washington, DC 
20240, or hand deliver comments to the Bureau of Land Management 
Administrative Record, Room 401, 1620 L Street, NW., Washington D.C. 
For information about filing comments electronically, see the 
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION section under ``Electronic access and filing 
address.''
    Public hearings. The locations of the public hearings that BLM is 
holding on this proposed rule are in the SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION 
section under ``Public hearings.''

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: John Duletsky of BLM's Fluid Minerals 
Group at (202) 452-0337 or Ian J. Senio of BLM's Regulatory Affairs 
Group at (202) 452-5049. If you require a telecommunications device for 
the deaf (TDD), you may call the Federal Information Relay Service at 
1-800-877-8339 between 8:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m. Eastern time, Monday 
through Friday, excluding Federal holidays.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Electronic access and filing address

    You can view an electronic version of this proposed rule at BLM's 
Internet home page: www.blm.gov. You can also comment via the Internet 
at: WOComment@wo.blm.gov. Please include ``Attention: AC94'' and your 
name and return address in your Internet message. If you do not receive 
a confirmation from our system that we have received your Internet 
message, contact us directly at (202) 452-5030.

Written Comments

    Written comments on the proposed rule should:
    (A) Be specific;
    (B) Be confined to issues pertinent to the proposed rule;
    (C) Explain the reason for any recommended change; and
    (D) Reference the specific section or paragraph of the proposal you 
are addressing.
    BLM may not necessarily consider or include in the Administrative 
Record for the final rule comments which BLM receives after the close 
of the comment period (See DATES) or comments delivered to an address 
other than those listed above (See ADDRESSES).
    You can review comments, including names, street addresses, and 
other contact information of respondents at this address during regular 
business hours (7:45 a.m. to 4:15 p.m.), Monday through Friday, except 
Federal holidays. BLM will also post all comments on its Internet home 
page (www.blm.gov) at the end of the comment period. If you are an 
individual respondent you may request confidentiality. If you request 
that BLM consider withholding your name, street address, and other 
contact information (such as: Internet address, FAX or phone number) 
from public review or from disclosure under the Freedom of Information 
Act, you must state this prominently at the beginning of your comment. 
We will not consider anonymous comments. BLM will honor requests for 
confidentiality on a case-by-case basis to the extent allowed by law. 
BLM will make available for public inspection in their entirety all 
submissions from organizations or businesses, and from individuals 
identifying themselves as representatives or officials of organizations 
or businesses.

Public Hearings

    The hearings will take the form of a question and answer workshop. 
BLM will hold the public hearings at the following locations on the 
dates and local times specified.

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                 Location                                  Date and time                                           BLM contact
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California Hearing, Doubletree Hotel,      April 7, 1999, 1:00 p.m.....................  Leroy Mohorich (916) 978-4363.
 Buena Vista Room, 3100 Camino Del Rio
 Court, (at the intersection of U.S.
 Highway 99 and State Highway 58 in
 Bakersfield), Bakersfield, California.
Montana Hearing, Bureau of Land            April 7, 1999, 8:00 a.m.....................  Jim Albano (406) 255-2849.
 Management, Montana State Office, Sixth
 Floor Conference Room, 222 North 32nd
 Street, Billings, Montana.
Texas Hearing, Midland Center, Room 5,     April 14, 1999 2:00 p.m.....................  Rick Wymer (505) 438-7411.
 105 North Main, Midland, Texas.
Colorado Hearing, Bureau of Land           April 14, 1999 1:00 p.m.....................  Sherri Thompson (303) 239-3758.
 Management, Colorado State Office,
 Fourth Floor Conference Room, 2850
 Youngfield Street, Lakewood, Colorado.
Utah Hearing, Western Park Center, 300     April 14, 1999 1:00 p.m.....................  Howard Cleavinger (435) 781-4480.
 East, 200 South, Vernal, Utah.
Washington, D.C. Hearing, Washington       April 20, 1999 1:00 p.m.....................  Kermit Witherbee (202) 452-0335.
 Plaza Hotel, State Suites, 10 Thomas
 Circle, NW (14th and Massachusetts
 Avenue) Washington, D.C..
Wyoming Hearing, The Wyoming Oil and Gas,  April 20, 1999 1:00 p.m.....................  Michael Madrid (307) 775-6201.
 Conservation Commission Building, 777
 West 1st Street, Casper, Wyoming.
New Mexico Hearing, Civic Center, Exhibit  April 21, 1999 2:00 p.m.....................  Rick Wymer (505) 438-7411.
 Hall 3, 200 West Arrington, Farmington,
 New Mexico.

[[Page 14668]]

 
Eastern States Hearing, Holiday Inn,       May 12, 1999 1:00 p.m.......................  Dave Stewart (703) 440-1728.
 Downtown/Riverfront Pavilion I, 102 Lake
 Street (exit Spring Street at I-20),
 Shreveport, Louisiana.
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    The meeting sites are accessible to individuals with disabilities. 
If you have a disability and will need an auxiliary aid or service to 
participate in the hearing, such as interpreting service, assistive 
listening device, or materials in an alternate format, you must notify 
one of the persons listed under FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT two 
weeks before the scheduled hearing date. Although BLM will attempt to 
meet a request received after that date, the requested auxiliary aid or 
service may not be available because of insufficient time to arrange 
it.

    Dated: March 22, 1999.
Sylvia V. Baca,
Acting Assistant Secretary, Land and Minerals Management.
[FR Doc. 99-7440 Filed 3-25-99; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4310-84-P