[Federal Register Volume 65, Number 163 (Tuesday, August 22, 2000)]
[Notices]
[Pages 51019-51020]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 00-21320]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Bureau of Land Management

[WO-310-1310-PB-01-24 1 A]


Extension of Approved Information Collection, OMB Number 1004-
0134

AGENCY: Bureau of Land Management, Interior.

ACTION: Notice and request for comments.

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SUMMARY: In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, the 
Bureau of Land Management (BLM) announces its intention to request 
renewal of an existing approval to collect certain information from 
operators and operating rights owners of Federal and Indian (except 
Osage) oil and gas leases. The information to be collected will be used 
to determine whether proposed operations may be approved to begin or 
alter operations or to allow operations to continue, or enables the 
monitoring of compliance with granted approvals. Granted approvals 
include drilling plans, prevention of waste, protection of resources, 
development of a lease, measurement, production verification, and 
protection of public health and safety.

DATES: Comments on the proposed information collection must be received 
by October 23, 2000, to assure consideration of them.

ADDRESSES: Comments may be mailed to: Regulatory Affairs Group (630), 
Bureau of Land Management, 1849 C Street NW., Room 401LS, Washington, 
DC 20240.
    Comments may be sent via Internet to: [email protected]. Please 
include ``Attn: 1004-0134'' and your name and return address in your 
Internet message.
    You may hand-deliver comments to the Bureau of Land Management, 
Administrative Record, Room 401, 1620 L Street, NW, Washington, DC 
20240.
    BLM will make comments available for public review at the L Street 
address during regular business hours (7:45 a.m. to 4:15 p.m.), Monday 
through Friday).

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Barbara Gamble, Fluid Minerals Group, 
(202) 452-0338.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: In accordance with 5 CFR 1320.12(a), the BLM 
is required to provide 60-day notice in the Federal Register concerning 
a collection of information contained in published current rules to 
solicit comments on (a) whether the proposed collection of information 
is necessary for the proper performance of the functions of the agency, 
including whether the information will have practical utility; (b) the 
accuracy of the agency's estimate of the burden of the proposed 
collection of information, including the validity of the methodology 
and assumptions used; (c) ways to enhance the quality, utility, and 
clarity of the information to be collected; and (d) ways to minimize 
the burden of the collection of information on those who are to 
respond, including through the use of appropriate automated, 
electronic, mechanical, or other technological collection techniques or 
other forms of information technology. BLM will receive and analyze any 
comments sent in response to this notice and include them with its 
request for approval from the OMB under 44 U.S.C. 3501 et seq.
    In accordance with the Federal Oil and Gas Royalty Management Act 
of 1982 (30 U.S.C. 1701 et seq.); the Mineral Leasing Act of 1920, as 
amended (30 U.S.C. 181 et seq.); the

[[Page 51020]]

Mineral Leasing Act for Acquired Lands of 1947, as amended (30 U.S.C. 
351-359); the various Indian leasing acts; and the National 
Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (NEPA), as amended (42 U.S.C. 4321 et 
seq.), BLM's implementing regulations at 43 CFR part 3160 require 
affected Federal and Indian (except Osage) oil and gas operators and 
operating rights owners to maintain records or provide information by 
means other than the submission of forms.
    The recordkeeping and nonform information collection items required 
under various provisions of 43 CFR part 3160 pertain to data submitted 
by the operator or operating rights owner. The information either 
provides data so that proposed operations may be approved or enables 
the monitoring of compliance with granted approval and is used to grant 
approval to begin or alter operations or to allow operations to 
continue. The specific requirements are listed by regulation section.
    The information required under 43 CFR part 3160 covers a broad 
range of possible operations, and rarely will any specific operator be 
required to obtain or provide each item. Many of the requirements are 
one-time filings used to gain approval to conduct a variety of oil and 
gas operations. Others are routine data submissions that are used to 
monitor production and ensure compliance with lease terms, regulations, 
Orders, Notices to Lessees, and conditions of approval. Production 
information from each producing lease is used to verify volumes and 
disposition of oil and gas produced on Federal and Indian lands. All 
recordkeeping burdens are associated with nonform items requested.
    Based on its experience managing the activities required by these 
regulations, BLM estimates the average public reporting burden of each 
provision for the information collection, including recordkeeping, 
ranges from about 10 minutes to 16 hours per response, depending on 
which information is required. The respondents are operators and 
operating rights owners of Federal and Indian (except Osage) oil and 
gas leases. The frequency of response varies from one-time-only to 
occasionally to routine, depending on activities conducted on oil and 
gas leases and on operational circumstances. The number of responses 
per year is estimated to total 193,855. The estimated total annual 
burden on new respondents is about 96,885. BLM is specifically 
requesting your comments on its estimate of the amount of time that it 
takes to prepare a response. The table below summarizes our estimates.

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                                                                     Hours per
  Information collection  (43 CFR)           Requirement             response      Burden hours     Respondents
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3162.3-1(a)........................  Well-Spacing Program.......              .5              75             150
3162.3-1(e)........................  Drilling Plans.............               8          23,000           2,875
3162.6.............................  Well Markers...............              .5             150             300
3162.5-2(b)........................  Direction Drilling.........               1             165         \1\ 165
3162.4-2(a)........................  Drilling Tests, Logs,                     1             330         \1\ 330
                                      Surveys.
3162.3-4(a)........................  Plug and Abandon for Water              1.5           1,800           1,200
                                      Injection.
3162.3-4(b)........................  Plug and Abandon for Water              1.5           1,800           1,200
                                      Source.
3162.7-1(d)........................  Additional Gas Flaring.....               1             400             400
3162.5-1(c)........................  Report of Spills,                         2             400             200
                                      Discharges, or Other
                                      Undesirable Events.
3162.5-1(b)........................  Disposal of Produced Water.               2           3,000           1,500
3162.5-1(d)........................  Contingency Plan...........              16             800              50
3162.4-1(a) and 3162.7-5(d)(1).....  Schematic/Facility Diagrams               4           9,400           2,350
3162.7-1(b)........................  Approval and Reporting of                .5             260             520
                                      Oil in Pits.
3164.1 (Order No. 3)...............  Prepare Run Tickets........              .2          18,000          90,000
3162.7-5(b)........................  Records on Seals...........              .2          18,000          90,000
3165.1(a)..........................  Application for Suspension.               8             800             100
3165.3(b)..........................  State Director Review......              16           1,600             100
3162.7-5(c)........................  Site Security..............               7          16,905           2,415
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    Totals.........................  ...........................  ..............          96,885        193,855
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\1\ Or 5% of wells.

    The respondents already maintain the types of information collected 
for their own recordkeeping purposes and need only submit the required 
information. All information collections in the regulations at 43 CFR 
part 3160 that do not require a form are covered by this notice. BLM 
intends to submit these information collections collectively for 
approval by the Office of Management and Budget.
    BLM will summarize all responses to this notice and include them in 
the request for Office of Management and Budget approval. All comments 
will also become a matter of public record.

    Dated: August 16, 2000.
Shirlean Besir,
BLM Information Clearance Officer.
[FR Doc. 00-21320 Filed 8-21-00; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4310-84-M