View Information Collection Request (ICR) Package

OMB Control No: 1004-0114	ICR Reference No: 201604-1004-005
Status: Historical Active	Previous ICR Reference No: 201302-1004-002
Agency/Subagency: DOI/BLM	Agency Tracking No:
Title: Recordation of Location Notices and Mining Claims; Payment of Fees (43 CFR 3832-3838)
Type of Information Collection: Revision of a currently approved collection	Common Form ICR: No
Type of Review Request: Regular
OIRA Conclusion Action: Approved without change	Conclusion Date: 01/17/2017
Retrieve Notice of Action (NOA)	Date Received in OIRA: 10/19/2016
Terms of Clearance:

	Inventory as of this Action	Requested	Previously Approved
Expiration Date	01/31/2020	36 Months From Approved	01/31/2017
Responses	136,338	0	121,019
Time Burden (Hours)	64,359	0	59,902
Cost Burden (Dollars)	1,699,860	0	1,677,670

Abstract: The information that is collected in accordance with this control number enables the BLM to have records of mining claims and sites on Federal lands, and enables the BLM to determine which mining claims and sites claimants wish to continue to hold.

Authorizing Statute(s): US Code: 43 USC 1744 Name of Law: Section 314 of the Federal Land Policy and Management Act
   US Code: 30 USC 21 - 54 Name of Law: General Mining Law
   US Code: 30 USC 621 - 625 Name of Law: Mining Claims Rights Restoration Act
   US Code: 43 USC 299 and 301 Name of Law: Stock Raising Homestead Act

Citations for New Statutory Requirements: None

Associated Rulemaking Information
RIN:	Stage of Rulemaking:	Federal Register Citation:	Date:
	Not associated with rulemaking

Federal Register Notices & Comments
60-day Notice:	Federal Register Citation:	Citation Date:
	81 FR 17730	03/30/2016
30-day Notice:	Federal Register Citation:	Citation Date:
	81 FR 72090	10/19/2016
Did the Agency receive public comments on this ICR? No

ICR Summary of Burden

	Total Approved	Previously Approved	Change Due to Agency Discretion	Change Due to Adjustment in Estimate
Annual Number of Responses	136,338	121,019	0	15,319
Annual Time Burden (Hours)	64,359	59,902	0	4,457
Annual Cost Burden (Dollars)	1,699,860	1,677,670	140,610	-118,420

Burden increases because of Program Change due to Agency Discretion: No

Burden Increase Due to:

Burden decreases because of Program Change due to Agency Discretion: No

Burden Reduction Due to:

Short Statement: The estimated numbers of responses for all of the information collection activities have been adjusted. The total numbers of responses have increased from 121,019 to 136.338, a difference of 15,319. While none of the hours per response have been adjusted, the total numbers of hours have been affected by the adjustments in numbers of responses. The reasons for these changes vary. For example: Notice of Intent to Locate under the Stock Raising Homestead Act: This number is usually low but can vary depending on where claims are located. Wyoming and California get the majority of these, but it seems there are more locations in other states also in the past three years. Locating Mining Claims or Sites and Recording a New Location Notice: The average for the previous three years was higher because there were a lot of new locations in particular for uranium. Transfer of Interest: Placer fees in accordance with 43 CFR Part 8344 have increased, and there seems to be interest in avoiding those fees via transfers of interest. There also seems to be an increased interest in locating and then selling it right away at a higher price. Waiver from Annual Maintenance Fee: Placer fees in accordance with 43 CFR Part 8344 have increased, and it seems that more claimants chose to file a waiver instead of paying those fees if they met the requirements for a waiver (i.e., had 10 or fewer claims). Annual FLPMA Documents: Just as the waivers increased, so did the filing of FLPMA documents because when claimants files waivers, they are required by law to file a FLPMA document to show they performed assessment work on their claims. Paying the maintenance fee is in lieu of having to perform assessment work so if the claimants do not pay the fee, then they have to perform assessment work and show they did that through a FLPMA document. For the same reason claimants transferred claims due to the change in the way placer fees were calculated, claimants chose to file a waiver instead of paying fees if they had 10 or fewer claims because there is no fee for filing a waiver. It is their way of circumventing having to pay the maintenance fee. Non-hour burdens for this information collection also have increased from $1,677,670 to $1,699,860, an difference of $22,190. This increase is in part due to adjustments in per-response processing fees according to the Implicit Price Deflator for Gross Domestic Product, in accordance with 43 CFR 3000.12. The most recent adjustments are at 80 FR 58625 (Sept. 30, 2015). Changes in the numbers of responses also have affected non-hour burdens.

Annual Cost to Federal Government: $3,141,224

Does this IC contain surveys, censuses, or employ statistical methods? No

Is the Supporting Statement intended to be a Privacy Impact Assessment required by the E-Government Act of 2002? No

Is this ICR related to the Affordable Care Act [Pub. L. 111-148 & 111-152]? No

Is this ICR related to the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act, [Pub. L. 111-203]? No

Is this ICR related to the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA)? No

Is this ICR related to the Pandemic Response? Uncollected

Agency Contact: Jean Sonneman 202 785-6577 jean_sonneman@blm.gov

View ICR - OIRA Conclusion