[Federal Register Volume 65, Number 36 (Wednesday, February 23, 2000)]
[Notices]
[Pages 8987-8988]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 00-4177]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Minerals Management Service


Agency Information Collection Activities: Proposed Collection; 
Comment Request

AGENCY: Minerals Management Service (MMS), Interior.

ACTION: Notice of extension of a currently approved information 
collection (OMB Control Number 1010-0078).

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SUMMARY: As part of its continuing effort to reduce paperwork and 
respondent burden, MMS invites the public and other Federal agencies to 
comment on a proposal to extend the currently approved collection of 
information discussed below. We intend to submit this collection of 
information to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for approval. 
The Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (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.

DATES: Submit written comments by April 24, 2000.

ADDRESSES: Mail or hand carry comments to the Department of the 
Interior; Minerals Management Service; Attention: Rules Processing 
Team; Mail Stop 4024; 381 Elden Street, Herndon, VA 20170-4817. Our 
practice is to make comments, including names and home addresses of 
respondents, available for public review during regular business hours. 
Individual respondents may request that we withhold their home address 
from the rulemaking record, which we will honor to the extent allowable 
by law. There may be circumstances in which we would withhold from the 
record a respondent's identity, as allowable by law. If you wish us to 
withhold your name and/or address, you must state this prominently at 
the beginning of your comment. However, we will not consider anonymous 
comments. We will make all submissions from organizations or 
businesses, and from individuals identifying themselves as 
representatives or officials of organizations or businesses, available 
for public inspection in their entirety.

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 collection of information at no cost.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
    Title: 30 CFR 250, Subpart O, Training.
    OMB Control Number: 1010-0078.
    Abstract: The Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) Lands Act, as amended, 
43 U.S.C. 1334(e), gives the Secretary of the Interior (Secretary) the 
responsibility to preserve, protect, and develop oil and gas resources 
in the OCS in a manner which is consistent with the need to make such 
resources available to meet the Nation's energy needs as rapidly as 
possible; balance orderly energy resources development with protection 
of human, marine, and coastal environments; ensure the public a fair 
and equitable return on resources of the OCS; and preserve and maintain 
free enterprise competition. Section 1332(6) of the OCS Lands Act (43 
U.S.C. 1332) requires that ``operations in the [O]uter Continental 
Shelf should be conducted in a safe manner by well trained personnel 
using technology, precautions, and other techniques sufficient to 
prevent or minimize the likelihood of blowouts, loss of well control, 
fires, spillages, physical obstructions to other users of the waters or 
subsoil and seabed, or other occurrences which may cause damage to the 
environment or to property or endanger life or health.'' This authority 
and responsibility are among those delegated to the Minerals Management 
Service (MMS). This authority and responsibility are among those 
delegated to MMS. To carry out these responsibilities, MMS issues 
regulations governing oil and gas or sulphur operations in the OCS. In 
addition, MMS issues Notices to Lessees and Operators to supplement 
regulations to provide guidance and clarification.
    The MMS uses the information collected under subpart O to ensure 
that certain workers in the OCS are properly trained in the use of 
equipment and procedures in drilling, well-completion, well-workover, 
and well-servicing well control operations and production safety system 
operations in order to avoid hazards inherent in those operations. This 
information is necessary to verify personnel training compliance with 
the requirements. Specifically, MMS uses the information to:
     Evaluate new programs and curriculum changes for technical 
accuracy and ensure that the programs

[[Page 8988]]

incorporate appropriate instruction, simulation, and hands-on training 
activities.
     Review attendance records to verify that a student has 
attended the entire course before issuance of a certificate.
     Schedule MMS onsite evaluations and audits of training 
organizations.
     Ensure that personnel are trained in order to maintain a 
state of preparedness essential for safe operations.
    We will protect proprietary information submitted according to the 
Freedom of Information Act (5 U.S.C. 552) and its implementing 
regulations (43 CFR 2) and 30 CFR 250.196. We will protect personal 
information such as social security numbers according to the Privacy 
Act. No items of a sensitive nature are collected. Responses are 
mandatory.
    Frequency: Primarily on occasion or annual.
    Estimated Number and Description of Respondents: Approximately 130 
Federal OCS oil, gas, and sulphur lessees and 55 training schools.
    Estimated Annual Reporting and Recordkeeping ``Hour'' Burden: The 
currently approved burden for this collection is 2,961 hours. This 
burden consists of various requirements, but the major burdens are:
     200 hours to develop and submit alternative training 
program.
     100 hours to apply for approval of new training program 
accreditation.
     53 hours to renew training program accreditation.
     15 hours to submit annual course schedule and changes.
    Estimated Annual Recordkeeping ``Non-Hour Cost'' Burden: We have 
identified no non-hour cost burdens for this collection.

Comments

    We will summarize written responses to this notice and address them 
in our submission for OMB approval. As a result of your comments and 
consultations with a sample of respondents, we will make any necessary 
adjustments to the burden in our submission to OMB. In calculating the 
burden, we assumed that respondents perform many of the requirements in 
the normal course of their activities. We consider these to be usual 
and customary and took that into account in estimating the burden.
    (1) We specifically solicit your comments on the following 
questions:
    (a) Is the proposed collection of information necessary for us to 
properly perform our functions, and will it be useful?
    (b) Are the estimates of the burden hours of the proposed 
collection reasonable?
    (c) Do you have any suggestions that would enhance the quality, 
clarity, or usefulness of the information to be collected?
    (d) Is there a way to minimize the information collection burden on 
respondents, including through the use of appropriate automated 
electronic, mechanical, or other forms of information technology?
    (2) In addition, the PRA requires agencies to estimate the total 
annual reporting ``non-hour cost'' burden to respondents or 
recordkeepers resulting from the collection of information. We need to 
know if you have costs associated with the collection of this 
information for either total capital and startup cost components or 
annual operation, maintenance, and purchase of service components. Your 
estimates should consider the costs to generate, maintain, and disclose 
or provide the information. You should describe the methods you use to 
estimate major cost factors, including system and technology 
acquisition, expected useful life of capital equipment, discount 
rate(s), and the period over which you incur costs. Capital and startup 
costs include, among other items, computers and software you purchase 
to prepare for collecting information; monitoring, sampling, drilling, 
and testing equipment; and record storage facilities. Generally, your 
estimates should not include equipment or services purchased: (i) 
before October 1, 1995; (ii) to comply with requirements not associated 
with the information collection; (iii) for reasons other than to 
provide information or keep records for the Government; or (iv) as part 
of customary and usual business or private practices.
    MMS Information Collection Clearance Officer: Jo Ann Lauterbach, 
(202) 208-7744.

    Dated: February 16, 2000.
E. P. Danenberger,
Chief, Engineering and Operations Division.
[FR Doc. 00-4177 Filed 2-22-00; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4310-MR-U