[Federal Register Volume 65, Number 242 (Friday, December 15, 2000)]
[Notices]
[Pages 78505-78507]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 00-32005]


-----------------------------------------------------------------------

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Minerals Management Service


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

AGENCY: Minerals Management Service (MMS), Interior.

ACTION: Notice of new information collection survey.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

SUMMARY: To comply with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (PRA), we 
are submitting to OMB for review and approval an information collection 
request (ICR) to conduct a new survey on ``Gulf of Mexico Labor 
Needs.'' We are also soliciting comments from the public on this ICR.

DATE: Submit written comments by January 16, 2001.

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-NEW), 725 17th Street, N.W., 
Washington, D.C. 20503. Mail or hand carry 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.
    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 details on the proposed survey or to 
obtain a copy of the survey questions, you may contact Harry Luton, in 
the MMS 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.

[[Page 78506]]

    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 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.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                              Total hour     Predicted no. of    Predicted hour
                        Respondent                         burden  (divided     respondents        burden per
                                                                  by)            (equals)          respondent
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
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
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    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.
    To comply with the public consultation process, on July 31, 2000, 
we published a Federal Register notice (65 FR 46733) with the required 
60-day comment period announcing that we

[[Page 78507]]

would submit this ICR to OMB for approval. We received no comments in 
response to that initial notice. If you wish to comment in response to 
this notice, 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 January 16, 2001.
    MMS Information Collection Clearance Officer: Jo Ann Lauterbach, 
(202) 208-7744.

    Dated: October 27, 2000.
John V. Mirabella,
Acting Chief, Engineering and Operations Division.
[FR Doc. 00-32005 Filed 12-14-00; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4310-MR-U