[Federal Register Volume 64, Number 140 (Thursday, July 22, 1999)]
[Notices]
[Pages 39524-39525]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 99-18730]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Minerals Management Service


Agency Information Collection Activities; Submissions for Office 
of Management and Budget (OMB) Review; Comment Request

AGENCY: Minerals Management Service (MMS), Interior.

ACTION: Notice of extension of four currently approved information 
collections.

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SUMMARY: To comply with the Paperwork Reduction Act (PRA) of 1995 (44 
U.S.C. 3501, et seq.), we are notifying you that we have submitted the 
four information collection requests (ICR) discussed below to the 
Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for review and approval. We are 
also inviting your comments on these ICRs.

DATE: Submit written comments by August 23, 1999.

ADDRESSES: You may submit comments directly to the Office of 
Information and Regulatory Affairs, OMB, Attention: Desk Officer for 
the Department of the Interior (1010-0017, 1010-0039, 1010-0045, or 
1010-0046), 725 17th Street NW, Washington, DC 20503. Mail or handcarry 
a copy of your comments to the Department of the Interior; Minerals 
Management Service; attention: Rules Processing Team; Mail Stop 4024; 
381 Elden Street; Herndon, Virginia 20170-4817.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Alexis London, Rules Processing Team, 
telephone (703) 787-1600. You may also contact Alexis London to obtain 
a copy of the collections of information at no cost.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
    Titles (OMB Control Numbers): 

Form MMS-124, Sundry Notices and Reports on Wells (1010-0045)
Form MMS-125, Well Summary Report (1010-0046)
Form MMS-126, Well Potential Test Report (1010-0039)
Form MMS-128, Semiannual Well Test Report (1010-0017)

    Abstract: The Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) Lands Act, 43 U.S.C. 
1331 et seq., as amended, requires the Secretary of the Interior to 
preserve, protect, and develop oil and gas resources in the OCS; make 
such resources available to meet the Nation's energy needs as rapidly 
as possible; balance orderly energy resources development with 
protection of the human, marine, and coastal environment; ensure the 
public a fair and equitable return on the resources offshore; preserve 
and maintain free enterprise competition, and ensure that the extent of 
oil and natural gas resources of the OCS is assessed at the earliest 
practicable time. To carry out these responsibilities, we issue rules 
governing oil and gas and sulphur operations in the OCS. The 
regulations requiring the information collection forms that are the 
subject of this notice are 30 CFR part 250, subpart D, Drilling 
Operations; Subpart E, Well-Completion Operations; subpart F, Well-
Workover Operations; Subpart G, Abandonment of Wells; subpart K, 
Production Rates; and subpart P, Sulphur Operations.
    Failure to collect this information would prevent the Director from 
carrying out the mandate of the OCS Lands Act. The following explains 
how we use the information collected and the consequences if we did not 
collect the information.
    a. Form MMS-124. MMS District Supervisors use the information to 
evaluate the adequacy of the equipment, materials, and/or procedures 
that the lessee plans to use for drilling, production, well-completion, 
well-workover, and well-abandonment operations. If we did not collect 
this information, we could not review lessee plans to require changes 
to drilling procedures or equipment to ensure that levels of safety and 
environmental protection are maintained. Nor could we review 
information concerning requests for approval or subsequent reporting of 
well-completion or well-workover operations to ensure that procedures 
and equipment are appropriate for the anticipated conditions.
    b. Form MMS-125. District Supervisors use the information to ensure 
that they have accurate data on the wells under their jurisdiction and 
to ensure compliance with approved plans. It is also used to evaluate 
remedial action in well-equipment failure or well-control loss 
situations.
    c. Form MMS-126. MMS Regional Supervisors use the information for 
various environmental, reservoir, reserves, and conservation analyses, 
including the determination of the maximum production rate for an oil 
or gas well. The form contains information concerning the conditions 
and results of a well potential test. This requirement carries out the 
conservation provisions of the OCS Lands Act. Failure to collect this 
information could result in waste of energy resources in the OCS by 
production at imprudent rates, jeopardizing the ultimate full recovery 
of hydrocarbons. Please note that we have shortened the name of this 
form, but have made no other changes to the form. Its previous name was 
``Well Potential Test Report and Request for Maximum Production Rate 
(MPR).''
    d. Form MMS-128. Regional Supervisors use this information to 
evaluate the results of well tests to find out if reservoirs are being 
depleted in a way that will lead to the greatest ultimate recovery of 
hydrocarbons. We designed the form to present current well data on a 
semiannual basis to allow the updating of permissible producing rates 
and to provide the basis for estimates of currently remaining 
recoverable gas reserves.
    We will protect proprietary information submitted with the plans

[[Page 39525]]

according to the Freedom of Information Act and 30 CFR 250.118, ``Data 
and information to be made available to the public.'' No items of a 
sensitive nature are collected. Responses are mandatory.
    The PRA provides that an agency may not conduct or sponsor, and a 
person is not required to respond to, a collection of information 
unless it displays a currently valid OMB control number.
    Estimated Number and Description of Respondents: Approximately 130 
Federal OCS oil and gas or sulphur lessees.
    Frequency: Forms MMS-124, MMS-125, and MMS-126, are on occasion; 
Form MMS-128 is semiannual.
    Estimated Annual Reporting and Recordkeeping ``Hour'' Burden: We 
estimate the following burdens for these forms:

Form MMS-124 9,500 responses @ 1\1/4\ hours per response=11,875 hours
Form MMS-125 2,275 responses @ 1 hour per response=2,275 hours
Form MMS-126 1,250 responses @ 1 hour per response=1,250 hours
Form MMS-128 1,660 responses @ 1\1/2\ hours per response=2,490 hours

    Estimated Annual Reporting and Recordkeeping ``Cost'' Burden: We 
have identified no information collection cost burdens for this 
collection of information.
    Comments: All comments are made a part of the public record. 
Section 3506(c)(2)(A) of the PRA requires each agency ``* * * to 
provide notice * * * and otherwise consult with members of the public 
and affected agencies concerning each proposed collection of 
information * * *.'' Agencies must specifically solicit comments to: 
(a) Evaluate whether the proposed collection of information is 
necessary for the agency to perform its duties, including whether the 
information is useful; (b) evaluate the accuracy of the agency's 
estimate of the burden of the proposed collection of information; (c) 
enhance the quality, usefulness, and clarity of the information to be 
collected; and (d) minimize the burden on the respondents, including 
the use of automated collection techniques or other forms of 
information technology.
    Send your comments directly to the offices listed under the 
ADDRESSES section of this notice. The OMB has up to 60 days to approve 
or disapprove the information collection but may respond after 30 days. 
Therefore, to ensure maximum consideration, OMB should receive public 
comments by August 23, 1999.
    MMS Information Collection Clearance Officer: Jo Ann Lauterbach, 
(202) 208-7744.

    Dated: June 30, 1999.
John V. Mirabella,
Acting Chief, Engineering and Operations Division.
[FR Doc. 99-18730 Filed 7-21-99; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4310-MR-P