[Federal Register Volume 66, Number 135 (Friday, July 13, 2001)]
[Notices]
[Pages 36797-36799]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 01-17616]


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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 revision of two currently approved information 
collections (OMB Control Numbers 1010-0018 and 1010-0039).

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SUMMARY: To comply with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (PRA), we 
are submitting to OMB for review and approval two information 
collection requests (ICRs). We are also soliciting comments from the 
public on these ICRs., titled ``Form MMS-126, Well Potential Test 
Report (WPT)''; and ``Form MMS-127, Sensitive Reservoir Information 
Report (SRI).'' The submissions to OMB request approval of revisions 
(to both forms) that clarify the submittal requirements and eliminate 
certain data elements. The current title (Request for Reservoir Maximum 
Efficient Rate) of Form MMS-127 is renamed.

DATES: Submit written comments by August 13, 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 (1010-0018 or 1010-0039), 725 17th 
Street, NW., Washington, DC 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. If you wish to e-mail comments, 
the e-mail address is: [email protected]. Reference ``Information 
Collection Form MMS-126'' or ``Form MMS-127'' as appropriate in your e-
mail subject line. Include your name and return address in your e-mail 
message and mark your message for return receipt.
    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 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

[[Page 36798]]

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 at no cost of the revised forms MMS-126 and MMS-127.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
    Titles and OMB Control Numbers:
    Form MMS-126, Well Potential Test Report (WPT), 1010-0039.
    Form MMS-127, Sensitive Reservoir Information Report (SRI), 1010-
0018.
    Abstract: The Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) Lands Act (43 U.S.C. 
1331 et seq.), as amended, requires the Secretary of the Interior 
(Secretary) to preserve, protect, and develop oil and gas or sulphur 
resources on the OCS; make such resources available to meet the 
Nation's energy needs as rapidly as possible; balance orderly energy 
resources development with protection of the human, marine, and coastal 
environments; ensure the public a fair and equitable return on the 
resources offshore; preserve and maintain free-enterprise competition; 
and ensure that the extent of oil and natural gas resources of the OCS 
is assessed at the earliest practicable time. Section 5(a) of the OCS 
Lands Act requires the Secretary to prescribe rules and regulations 
``to provide for the prevention of waste, and conservation of the 
natural resources of the Outer Continental Shelf, and the protection of 
correlative rights therein'' and to include provisions ``for the prompt 
and efficient exploration and development of a lease area.''
    To carry out these responsibilities, MMS has issued regulations to 
ensure that operations in the OCS will meet statutory requirements; 
provide for safety and protect the environment; and result in diligent 
exploration, development, and production of OCS leases. Various 
sections of 30 CFR part 250, subpart K, require respondents to submit 
forms MMS-126 and MMS-127.
    For several years, the MMS Gulf of Mexico Region (GOMR) has issued 
instructions to lessees and operators that when they submit these 
forms, they do not need to request a maximum production rate (MPR) or a 
maximum efficient rate (MER), nor complete data elements 110 through 
114 on cumulative well production during approved testing periods. The 
GOMR does, however, retain the authority to set MPRs for individual 
well completions, and to set MERs for individual reservoirs, if 
necessary to ensure natural resources conservation and to maximize 
ultimate recovery.
    The MMS Alaska and Pacific OCS Regions agree with the determination 
that MMS no longer needs to collect the information reported in data 
elements 110 through 114 on both forms. They will still require lessees 
and operators in those regions to complete data element 91 (Requested 
MPR) on form MMS-126 and data elements 119 and 120 (Present and 
Requested MER) on form MMS-127. The revised forms reflect these 
decisions. When we next revise the 30 CFR 250, subpart K, regulations, 
we anticipate proposing to officially incorporate these changes in 
regulation.
    MMS District and Regional Supervisors use the information on form 
MMS-126 for various environmental, reservoir, reserves, and 
conservation analyses, including the determination of MPRs when 
necessary for certain oil and gas completions. The form contains 
information concerning the conditions and results of a well potential 
test. This requirement implements the conservation provisions of the 
OCS Lands Act and 30 CFR 250. The information obtained from the well 
potential test is essential to determine if an MPR is necessary for a 
well and to establish the appropriate rate. It is not possible to 
specify an MPR in the absence of information about the production rate 
capability (potential) of the well.
    MMS District and Regional Supervisors use the information submitted 
on form MMS-127 to determine whether a rate-sensitive reservoir is 
being prudently developed. This represents an essential control 
mechanism that MMS uses to regulate production rates from each 
sensitive reservoir being actively produced. Occasionally, the 
information available on a reservoir early in its producing life may 
indicate it to be non-sensitive, while later and more complete 
information would establish the reservoir as being sensitive. 
Production from a well completed in the gas cap of a sensitive 
reservoir requires approval from the Regional Supervisor. The 
information submitted on form MMS-127 provides reservoir parameters 
that are revised at least annually or sooner if reservoir development 
results in a change in reservoir interpretation. The engineers and 
geologists use the information for rate control and reservoir studies.
    Responses are mandatory. No questions of a ``sensitive'' nature are 
asked. MMS will protect proprietary information according to the 
Freedom of Information Act (5 U.S.C. 552) and its implementing 
regulations (43 CFR part 2), 30 CFR 250.196 (Data and information to be 
made available to the public), and 30 CFR part 252 (OCS Oil and Gas 
Information Program). Proprietary information concerning geological and 
geophysical data will be protected according to 43 U.S.C. 1352.
    Frequency: The frequency is ``on occasion,'' but not less than 
annual.
    Estimated Number and Description of Respondents: Approximately 130 
Federal OCS oil and gas or sulphur lessees.
    Estimated Annual Reporting and Recordkeeping ``Hour'' Burden: The 
average ``hour'' burden for both forms MMS-126 and MMS-127 is 1 hour.
    Estimated Annual Reporting and Recordkeeping ``Non-Hour Cost'' 
Burden: We have identified no ``non-hour cost'' burden associated with 
either form MMS-126 or MMS-127.
    Comments: Section 3506(c)(2)(A) of the PRA (44 U.S.C. 3501, et 
seq.) 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 April 6, 2001, 
we published a Federal Register notice (66 FR 18294) announcing that we 
would submit these ICRs to OMB for approval. The notice provided the 
required 60-day comment period. In addition, Sec. 250.199 provides the 
OMB control numbers for the information collection requirements imposed 
by the 30 CFR part 250 regulations and forms; specifies that the public 
may comment at anytime on these collections of information; and 
provides the address to which they should send comments. This 
information is also contained in the PRA statement on each of the 
forms. We have received no comments in response to these efforts.
    If you wish to comment in response to this notice, send your 
comments

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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 
August 13, 2001. The 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.
    MMS Information Collection Clearance Officer: Jo Ann Lauterbach, 
(202) 208-7744.

    Dated: June 5, 2001.
E.P. Danenberger,
Chief, Engineering and Operations Division.
[FR Doc. 01-17616 Filed 7-12-01; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4310-MR-P