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OMB Control No: 1004-0206	ICR Reference No: 201701-1004-009
Status: Historical Active	Previous ICR Reference No: 201603-1004-001
Agency/Subagency: DOI/BLM	Agency Tracking No:
Title: Competitive Processes, Terms, and Conditions for Leasing Public Lands for Solar and Wind Energy Development
Type of Information Collection: New collection (Request for a new OMB Control Number)	Common Form ICR: No
Type of Review Request: Regular
OIRA Conclusion Action: Approved without change	Conclusion Date: 01/18/2017
Retrieve Notice of Action (NOA)	Date Received in OIRA: 01/18/2017
Terms of Clearance:

	Inventory as of this Action	Requested	Previously Approved
Expiration Date	01/31/2020	36 Months From Approved
Responses	3,042	0	0
Time Burden (Hours)	47,112	0	0
Cost Burden (Dollars)	2,180,808	0	0

Abstract: The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) is finalizing a rule that amends existing rights-of-way regulations, primarily in order to encourage solar and wind energy development. In addition, the rule amends regulations pertaining to electric transmission lines with a capacity of 100 Kilovolts or more, and includes technical amendments and corrections to 43 CFR Parts 2800 and 2880. Some of the collection activities in the final rule require the use of Standard Form 299 (SF-299), Application for Transportation and Utility Systems and Facilities on Federal Lands. OMB has approved SF-299 and has assigned control number 0596-0082 to that form. That control number is administered by the U.S. Forest Service.

Authorizing Statute(s): US Code: 43 USC 1701(a)(9) Name of Law: Section 102(a)(9) of the Federal Land Policy and Management Act
   US Code: 30 USC 185 Name of Law: Section 28 of the Mineral Leasing Act
   PL: Pub.L. 109 - 58 211 Name of Law: Energy Policy Act of 2005
   US Code: 43 USC 1734 Name of Law: Section 304 of the Federal Land Policy and Management Act
   US Code: 43 USC 1761 - 1771 Name of Law: Subchapter V of the Federal Land Policy and Management Act

Citations for New Statutory Requirements: None

Associated Rulemaking Information
RIN:	Stage of Rulemaking:	Federal Register Citation:	Date:
1004-AE24	Final or interim final rulemaking	81 FR 92122	12/19/2016

Federal Register Notices & Comments
Did the Agency receive public comments on this ICR? Yes

ICR Summary of Burden

	Total Approved	Change Due to Agency Discretion	Change Due to Adjustment in Estimate
Annual Number of Responses	3,042	3,148	-106
Annual Time Burden (Hours)	47,112	47,330	-218
Annual Cost Burden (Dollars)	2,180,808	2,180,808	0

Burden increases because of Program Change due to Agency Discretion: Yes

Burden Increase Due to: Changing Regulations

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

Burden Reduction Due to:

Short Statement: The BLM estimates this rule will result in annual program changes of 3,042 responses and 47,112 hours. These changes are necessary in order to: • Facilitate competitive processes for certain types of rights-of-way; • Assist in timely processing of applications for solar and wind energy rights-of-way; • Defray the BLM’s expenses in processing applications; and • Discourage speculation. There is one program change due to revisions of the proposed rule. In the proposed rule, a new requirement would have applied to applications for pipelines 10 inches or more in diameter. That requirement (General Description of Proposed Oil or Gas Pipeline 10 inches or More in Diameter and Schedule for Submittal of Plan of Development) was based on the rationale that pipelines, like solar and wind energy projects, would be large-scale projects. Some commenters questioned the BLM’s description of pipelines 10 inches or greater in diameter as a measure for large-scale pipeline projects, and suggested that the scale of pipeline projects is better measured by acreage than pipeline diameter. The BLM agrees, and has decided to remove 10-inch pipelines from the final rule. Thus, the “General Description” information collection activity is not part of the final rule. In addition, there are two adjustments due to revisions of the proposed rule. As explained above, the proposed rule would have required pre-application meetings and an “application filing fee” would have been among the non-hour burdens for that requirement. In response to comments, the BLM revised the proposed rule. Instead of pre-application meetings, the final rule requires “preliminary application review meetings” that will be held after an application for a large-scale right-of-way has been filed with the BLM. The “application filing fee” does not apply to the meetings that are required under the final rule. The second adjustment is that the “Plan of Development” activity development leases has been combined into a single activity for both solar and wind energy. In the proposed rule, the activity for solar energy leases was presented separately from the activity for wind energy leases. The BLM on its own initiative determined that this separation is not necessary.

Annual Cost to Federal Government: $2,196,474

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

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