Interior Dept Seeks Comments on Bond Paperwork Updates
Published Date: 4/21/2026
Notice
Summary
The Office of Natural Resources Revenue wants to keep collecting info from companies about their bonds or financial security when they face suspensions while appealing. This helps make sure everyone plays fair and has the money to cover any issues. If you’re involved, you’ve got until May 21, 2026, to share your thoughts—no extra costs or big changes, just a paperwork update!
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Analyzed Economic Effects
4 provisions identified: 0 benefits, 3 costs, 1 mixed.
Must Post Bond or Prove Solvency to Appeal
If your company appeals an ONRR order for Federal or Indian oil and gas leases, you must either post a surety (for example, forms ONRR-4435, ONRR-4436, or ONRR-4437) or demonstrate financial solvency to suspend payment while the appeal proceeds. ONRR keeps the surety until the appeal is resolved, will return it if you win, and may draw down the bond to collect the unpaid principal plus interest if you lose.
Self‑Bonding Rules and $300M Net‑Worth Test
For Federal oil and gas leases only, a company may request to ‘self‑bond’ instead of posting a surety, but must annually submit audited consolidated financial statements and may need to provide up to three years of tax returns. If the company does not have the required consolidated balance sheet or does not meet the $300,000,000 net worth requirement, ONRR will obtain credit/business data and charge a $56 review fee each time.
Accepted Collateral Includes Treasury Securities at 120%
An appellant may use U.S. Treasury notes or bonds as surety, but the Treasury security must have at least one year to maturity and must equal 120 percent of the appealed amount plus one year of estimated interest. ONRR accepts only book‑entry Treasury securities.
Paperwork Time and Small Credit‑Check Fee
ONRR estimates this information collection affects about 275 Federal or Indian appellants, with 110 annual responses, each taking about 2 hours for a total of 220 annual burden hours. ONRR estimates no additional recordkeeping costs, but expects about 3 appellants per year will pay a $56 fee (total $168/year) when ONRR purchases credit or business data to evaluate solvency.
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