Agency Information Collection Activities; Restrictions on Financial Interests of State Employees

AGENCY:

Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement, Interior.

ACTION:

Notice of Information Collection; request for comment.

SUMMARY:

In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, we, the Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement (OSMRE), are proposing to renew an information collection.

DATES:

Interested persons are invited to submit comments on or before May 11, 2020.

ADDRESSES:

Send your comments on this information collection request (ICR) by mail to the Mark Gehlhar, Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement, 1849 C Street NW, Room 4556-MIB, Washington, DC 20240; or by email to mgehlhar@osmre.gov. Please reference OMB Control Number 1029-0067 in the subject line of your comments.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

To request additional information about this ICR, contact Mark Gehlhar by email at mgehlhar@osmre.gov, or by telephone at 202-208-2716.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, we provide the general public and other Federal agencies with an opportunity 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 soliciting comments on the proposed ICR that is described below. We are especially interested in public comment addressing the following issues: (1) Is the collection necessary to the proper functions of the OSMRE; (2) will this information be processed and used in a timely manner; (3) is the estimate of burden accurate; (4) how might the OSMRE enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of the information to be collected; and (5) how might the OSMRE minimize the burden of this collection on the respondents, including through the use of information technology.

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: Respondents are state employees who supply information on employment and financial interests. The purpose of the collection is to ensure compliance with section 517(g) of the Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act of 1977, which places an absolute prohibition on having a direct or indirect financial interest in underground or surface coal mining operations.

Title of Collection: Restrictions on financial interests of state employees.

OMB Control Number: 1029-0067.

Form Number: None.

Type of Review: Extension of a currently approved collection.

Respondents/Affected Public: Any state regulatory authority employee or member of advisory boards or commissions established in accordance with state law or regulation to represent multiple interests who performs any function or duty under the Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act.

Total Estimated Number of Annual Respondents: 2,496.

Total Estimated Number of Annual Responses: 5,016.

Estimated Completion Time per Response: Varies from 5 minutes to 30 minutes, depending on activity.

Total Estimated Number of Annual Burden Hours: 428.

Respondent's Obligation: Retain a Benefit.

Frequency of Collection: Annually.

Total Estimated Annual Nonhour Burden Cost: None.

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 authority for this action is the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (44 U.S.C. 3501 et seq).