Onshore Oil and Gas Leasing and Operations

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.

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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). On March 26, 1999, BLM

extended the comment period for 60 days (64 FR 14666). 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 45 days from the comment period closing date of June 4,

1999, to the extended comment period's closing date of July 19, 1999.

DATES: Comments. Send your comments to BLM on or before July 19, 1999.

BLM will consider comments received or postmarked on or before this

date in preparing the final rule.

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 DC. For

information about filing comments electronically, see the SUPPLEMENTARY

INFORMATION section under ``Electronic access and filing address.''

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 a.m. and 4 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: WOC[email protected]. 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 are most helpful if you:

(A) Are specific;

(B) Confine comments 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.

We welcome suggested regulatory language.

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. If you are an individual respondent you may request

confidentiality. If you request that BLM consider withholding your

name, street address, and other

[[Page 29257]]

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.

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.

Dated: May 26, 1999.

Sylvia V. Baca,

Assistant Secretary, Land and Minerals Management.

[FR Doc. 99-13850 Filed 5-28-99; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 4310-84-P