[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