[Federal Register Volume 65, Number 242 (Friday, December 15, 2000)]
[Proposed Rules]
[Pages 78431-78432]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 00-32006]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Minerals Management Service

30 CFR Part 203

RIN 1010-AC71


Royalty or Reduction in Royalty Rates--Deep Water Royalty Relief 
for OCS Oil and Gas Leases Issued After 2000

AGENCY: Minerals Management Service (MMS), Interior.

ACTION: Extension of comment period for proposed rule.

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SUMMARY: This document extends to January 9, 2001, the deadline for 
submitting comments on the proposed rule revising regulations on 
royalty relief for oil and gas producers on the Outer Continental Shelf 
(OCS). The proposed rule provides for suspension or reduction of 
royalty on a case-by-case basis for certain additional categories of 
OCS leases under 30 CFR part 203. Also, it identifies circumstances 
when we may consider special royalty relief outside our established 
end-of-life and deep water royalty relief programs.

DATES: We will consider all comments received by January 9, 2001, and 
we may not fully consider comments received after January 9, 2001.

ADDRESSES: Mail or hand-carry written comments (three copies) to the 
Department of the Interior; Minerals Management Service; 381 Elden 
Street; Mail Stop 4024; Herndon, Virginia 20170-4817; Attention: Rules 
Processing Team. You may also e-mail your comments to RPT at: 
[email protected]. Please mark your message for return receipt and 
identify the rule identification number ``RIN 1010-AC71'' in the 
subject line of your message. Include your name and return address in 
your message text.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Marshall Rose, Economic Division, at 
(703) 787-1536.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: MMS was asked to extend the deadline for 
submitting comments on the proposed regulations revising 30 CFR part 
203, Relief or Reduction in Royalty Rates, published on November 16, 
2000 (65 FR 69259, with a subsequent correction on November 22, 2000 
(65 FR 70386)). The requests indicate a need to wait for the conclusion 
of two MMS-sponsored workshops the week of December 11, which are 
designed, in part, to discuss the content and rationale of the proposed 
rule.

Public Comments Procedures

    Our practice is to make comments, including names and home 
addresses of respondents, available for public review during regular 
business hours. Individual respondents may request that we withhold 
their home address from the rulemaking record, which we will honor to 
the extent allowable by law. There may be circumstances in which we 
would withhold from the rulemaking record a respondent's identity, as 
allowable by the law. If you wish us to withhold your name and/or 
address, you must state this prominently at the beginning of your 
comment. However, we will not consider anonymous comments. We will make 
all submissions from organizations or businesses, and from individuals 
identifying themselves as representatives or officials of

[[Page 78432]]

organizations or businesses, available for public inspection in their 
entirety.

    Dated: December 11, 2000.
Carolita U. Kallaur,
Associate Director for Offshore Minerals Management.
[FR Doc. 00-32006 Filed 12-14-00; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4310-MR-M