U.S. Department of the Interior
Minerals Management Service
Office of Communications

NEWS RELEASE

ROYALTY POLICY COMMITTEE MEETING IN DENVER, JANUARY 26

The Department of the Interior's Minerals Management Service will hold the next meeting of the Royalty Policy Committee of the Minerals Management Advisory Board on January 26 in Denver, Colorado. The meeting will take place from 8:30am - 4:30pm at the Embassy Suites Hotel, 7525 East Hampden Avenue. This session's agenda is scheduled to consider recommendations of the coal subcommittee and status reports from the lessee/designee and leasable solid minerals subcommittees. The committee will also hear updates on royalty in-kind pilots and legislation and royalty reengineering.

If time permits, the public will be invited to make statements during the meeting and file written statements with the Committee for consideration. Minutes of the meeting are expected to be available 10 days following the meeting for public inspection at the MMS Royalty Management Program offices in Denver.

The Secretary of the Interior established the Royalty Policy Committee, on the Minerals Management Advisory Board, to provide advice on the Departments's management of federal and Indian minerals leases, revenues, and other minerals related policies. Committee membership includes representative from states, Indian Tribes and Indian Allottee organizations, minerals industry associations, the general public, and other federal agencies.

Two additional public workshops regarding administrative appeals and chronic erroneous reporting have been scheduled for January 27, also at the Embassy Suites. The appeals workshop is from 8:30am - 3:00pm, and the chronic erroneous reporting workshop is from 2:00pm - 4:00pm. While these workshops relate to the MMS royalty management program they are not part of the Royalty Policy Committee meeting. The public is invited to attend.

For additional information or to submit written comments contact Michael Miller, MMS, Royalty Management Program, P.O. Box 25165, MS 3060, Denver, CO 80225-0165. He may also be reached by phone at (303) 231-3413, or fax (303) 231-3362.

MMS is the federal agency that manages the Nation's natural gas, oil and other mineral resources on the OCS, and collects, accounts for and disburses about $4 billion yearly in revenues from offshore federal leases and from onshore mineral leases on federal and Indian lands.

-MMS-

MMS Internet website address: http://www.mms.gov
24 hour Fax-on-Demand Service:(202) 219-1703