[Federal Register Volume 65, Number 147 (Monday, July 31, 2000)]
[Notices]
[Pages 46733-46734]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 00-19188]


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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 new information collection survey.

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SUMMARY: To comply with the requirements of the Paperwork Reduction Act 
of 1995 (PRA), we are inviting comments on an information collection 
request (ICR) to conduct a new survey on ``Gulf of Mexico Labor 
Needs.'' We are preparing an ICR, which we will submit to the Office of 
Management and Budget (OMB) for review and approval.

DATES: Submit written comments by September 29, 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, Virginia 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 the 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 for questions on the PRA information 
collection process or to obtain a copy of the survey. For information 
on the survey itself, contact Harry Luton in the Gulf of Mexico 
Regional Office, telephone (504) 736-2784.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
    Title: Survey--Gulf of Mexico Labor Needs.
    OMB Control Number: 1010-NEW.
    Abstract: MMS is responsible for managing mineral resources on the 
Federal outer continental shelf (OCS). The National Environmental 
Policy Act (NEPA) of 1969, the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act 
(OCSLA), as amended, the Coastal Zone Management Act (CZMA) of 1996, 
and the Endangered Species Act of 1973, require MMS to assess, 
mitigate, and monitor the effects of the OCS program on the 
environment.
    The OCS oil and natural gas exploration and production industry 
impacts local and regional economies through many activities, including 
the demand for labor, the demand for services, and the demand for 
capital goods. Though thought to be in decline a decade ago, several 
mid-1990's changes have reinvigorated the industry. These include 
technical innovations such as three- and four-dimensional seismic 
surveys and subsurface completion systems that allow companies to 
operate in very deep

[[Page 46734]]

water, as well as passage of the Deep Water Royalty Relief Act of 1995. 
This recent and unexpected growth has increased the significance and 
urgency of the need for MMS to obtain data on current Gulf of Mexico 
(GOM) OCS conditions and operating practices.
    We propose to conduct a survey to collect and analyze information 
for use in MMS documents and management decisions. We will use the 
information within NEPA documents, with special emphasis on development 
in deep water. We will use the patterns and trends found in the data to 
support descriptions of how the GOM offshore oil and natural gas 
industry operates, how it resembles and differs from other regional 
markets, and what trends appear to be influencing its current 
direction. The OCSLA stipulates that MMS management of the OCS must 
include evaluations of the effects of industry activities on area 
resources. The CZMA policies on industrial and water use in the OCS 
affect many MMS decisions relating to planning, procedures, and 
interactions with industry, governments, and communities. The 
Endangered Species Act requires MMS to evaluate OCS activity and its 
affect on regional populations. The data collected through the proposed 
survey is necessary for MMS to successfully do each of these.
    The information under the proposed data collection will be obtained 
by randomly sampling from the following eight populations: (1) Seismic 
companies; (2) platform and rig construction companies; (3) pipeline 
operating companies; (4) air transportation companies; (5) OCS field 
production operating companies; (6) employees from each of the previous 
sectors; (7) contracting organizations for operating companies; and (8) 
operating companies that have bid for a lease within the GOM. For the 
purposes of the proposed tests, an offshore employee ``earns money by 
working in any of three segments--operating companies, service and 
supply companies, and transportation companies. The offshore worker 
charges time directly to GOM activities.'' The employee form will 
provide important economic information to supplement and cross check 
the industry data and will include demographic information to help 
characterize the economic effects of the program and the worker point 
of view concerning certain industry trends.
    Questionnaire completion is voluntary. The questionnaires will be 
administered under the guidelines established under 45 CFR 46. 
Procedures designed to protect the confidentiality of the information 
provided will include the use of coded identification numbers to 
protect the identities of respondents and the businesses they 
represent. The final report will summarize data by geographic region, 
business type, or population category so that individual persons and 
companies will not be identifiable. Identifying information will be 
removed from data files.
    We do not consider that the information requested in the proposed 
survey instruments necessitate a classification as Confidential 
Business Information. As stated, we will take efforts to ensure the 
anonymity of the collected data. As the test surveys are, and future 
surveys will be, voluntary, companies may choose not to respond to 
questions on proprietary information, but they can be assured that 
proprietary data will not be able to be associated with their company.
    Frequency: This survey will be conducted once every 5 years.
    Estimated Number and Description of Respondents: Estimated 6,338 
respondents from the categories listed in the following chart.
    Estimated Annual Reporting and Recordkeeping ``Hour'' Burden: 
Estimated 10,792 burden hours as described in the following chart.

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                                                                    Total hour     Predicted No.  Predicted hour
                           Respondent                                 burden      of respondents    burden per
                                                                   (divided by)       (equals)      respondent
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Seismic.........................................................          292.25              21            13.9
Platform/Rig Construction.......................................        1,065.75              63            16.9
Pipeline Operators..............................................          473.00              34            13.9
Air Transportation..............................................           83.50               6            13.9
Operators.......................................................        2,667.00             126            21.2
Employees.......................................................        4,398.25           5,865            0.75
Contractors.....................................................        1,622.75             189             8.6
Bidders.........................................................          189.75              34             5.6
                                                                 -----------------------------------------------
    Total.......................................................       10,792.25           6,338
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    Estimated Annual Reporting and Recordkeeping ``Non-Hour Cost'' 
Burden: Beyond labor, the proposed information collection poses no cost 
burden to respondents. MMS will pay for all postage and telephone 
charges. Respondents will incur no capital and operation and 
maintenance costs.
    Comments: The PRA (44 U.S.C. 3501, et seq.) 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. 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.
    We will summarize written responses to this notice and address them 
in our submission for OMB approval. As a result of your comments, we 
will make any necessary adjustments to the burden in our submission to 
OMB.

    Dated: July 18, 2000.
E.P. Danenberger,
Chief, Engineering and Operations Division.
[FR Doc. 00-19188 Filed 7-28-00; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4310-MR-P